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The 

Home 

Doctor. 



¥ 




NEW YORK : 

The Hollister Printing Co. 

1895. 



THE 

HOME DOCTOR, 



A COMPLETE 



Manual of Family Medicine, 



GIVING THE MOST APPROVED REMEDIES OF 

THE PRESENT DAY FOR 

HOME TREATMENT OF ALL DISEASES. 



71 v £ ■ 



Home Treatment Company,, 

54 West 23D Street, 

New York City, 




,WA fe 



Copyrighted 1895, byC. B. Harris, 






PREFACE. 



The following pages are intended as a concise 
practical guide by which the general public may 
become familiar with the causes, symptoms, pre- 
vention, and treatment, of the more common dis- 
eases that may be successfully treated at home. 

The manual will be found to contain much val- 
uable information for every family and individual; 
and frequent reference to it will, in many cases, 
save the necessity of consulting a physician and 
paying large consultation fees. 

If you desire to keep well, you can learn how to 
do it from these pages; if you would keep your 
children well, follow the advice herein given; if 
you are sick, consult this manual and you will 
know what to do at once. In short, you will find 
this work an ever-ready medical adviser, upon 
which you can rely as certainly as if you consulted 
the most experienced specialist in any of the dis- 
eases described. 



4 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

It covers all the subjects that are contained in 
the large and expensive works on Domestic Medi- 
cine, in such condensed form that all information 
sought for can be obtained in a few moments. 

The treatment recommended and the directions 
given for preserving health are the most approved 
and scientific of the present day, and the work is 
in every way up to date, while all the older works 
on popular medicine are from fifteen to thirty years 
behind the age. 

The medicines recommended are such as are 
used by the leading physicians of America and 
Europe, and all prescriptions are given in plain 
terms that can be understood by every reader. 

The symptoms of many surgical diseases are 
described, so that they can be readily recognized 
before serious deformities result, thus enabling the 
sufferer to consult a surgeon in time to insure a 
radical cure of the trouble, and thus save much 
unnecessary suffering. 

Our first aim is to teach people how to preserve 
health and prevent disease; while, to those who are 
already victims of the sequences of violated laws, 
we offer the most approved remedies and the best 
advice for the restoration of health. 



PREFACE, 5 

A perusal of these pages will convince every 
reader of the importance of complying with the old 
axiom, " Know thyself;" and those who follow the 
rules and advice herein contained will demonstrate 
for themselves the great good that can be derived 
by instructing the people regarding the nature and 
treatment of the diseases to which they are liable. 

R. A. GUNN, M. D., 
Consulting Physician and Surgeon, 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 

How to Preserve Health — Diseases of the Diges- 
tive Organs — Acute Indigestion — Chronic 
Dyspepsia — Catarrh of the Stomach — Jaun- 
dice — Diarrhea — Chronic Diarrhea — Chol- 
era Morbus — Dysentery — Cholera Infantum 
— Habitual Constipation — Worms 13 

CHAPTER II. 

MALARIAL DISEASES. 

Malarial Fevers — Intermittent Fever — Remit- 
tent, or Bilioua, Fever 38 

CHAPTER III. 

SPECIFIC GERM DISEASES. 

Small- Pox — Chicken-Pox — Measels — Erysipelas 
— Cholera — Yellow Fever — Diphtheria — La 
Grippe, or Influenza — Hay Fever — Whoop- 
ing Cough — Mumps — Typhoid Fever 43 



g THE HOME DOCTOR. 

CHAPTER IV. 

DISEASES OF DEFECTIVE NUTRITIAN. 

Rheumatism— Gout — Diabetes— Rickets— Scrof- 
ula « 64 

CHAPTER V. 

SPECIFIC BLOOD DISEASES. 

Syphilis — Hydrophobia — Glanders 82 

CHAPTER VI. 

DISEASES OF THE LUNGS AND AIR PASSAGES. 

Consumption — Acute Bronchitis-Chronic Bron- 
chitis — Asthma — Acute Nasal Catarrh — Ul- 
ceration of the Nose — Sore Throat — Quinsy 
— Croup — Loss of Voice — Inflammation of 
Larynx — Chronic Catarrh — Pneumonia — 
Pleurisy 76 

CHAPTER VII. 

DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. 

Headache — Vertigo — Spinal Irritation — Convul- 
sions — Epilepsy — St. Vitus Dance — Hysteria 
Hiccough — Sea Sickness — Neuralgia — Pa- 
ralysis. 106 



CONTENTS. 9 

CHAPTER VIII. 

DISEASES OF THE HEART. 

Palpitation of the Heart — Rheumatism of the 
Heart — Diseases of the Valves — Enlarge- 
ment of the Heart — Fatty Degeneration - 

Angina Pectoris 123 

CHAPTER IX. 

URINARY DISEASES. 

Congestion and Inflammation of the Kidneys — 
Bright's Disease — Gravel — Retention of . 
Urine — Inflammation of the Bladder — Stone 
in the Bladder — Involuntary Escape of 

Urine 130 

CHAPTER X. 

SPECIAL DISEASES OF MEN. 

Gonorrhea, or Clap — Gleet — Balanitis — Phymo- 
sis — Paraphimosis — Stricture — Swelled Tes- 
ticles — Hydrocele — Varicocele — Self-abuse 
— Spermatorrhea 14 c 

CHAPTER XI. 

DISEASES AND INJURIES OF THE SKIN. 

Acne, or Flesh Worms — Bed Sores — Boils — Car- 
buncles — Corns — Chilblains — Dandruff — 
Falling Out of Hair — Eczema — Freckles — 
Nettle Rash, or Hives — Prickley Heat — 
Ring Worm — Salt Rheum— Warts— Itch- 
Barbers Itch — Burns and Scalds 151 



IO THE HOME DOCTOR. 

CHAPTER XII. 

DISEASES OF WOMEN. 

Inflammation of the Vagina — Inflammation and 
Ulceration of the Womb — Leucorrhea — 
Displacements of the Womb — Tumors — 
Cancers — Change of Life 164 

CHAPTER XIII. 

THE EYE AND ITS DISORDERS. 

The Care of the Eyes — Defects of Vision — The 
Use of Spectacles — Diseases of the Lids — 
Weeping, or Watery, Eyes — Cross-Eye — 
Conjunctivitis — Granular Lids — Ulceration 
of the Cornea — Opacity of the Cornea — 
Iritis — Cataract — Glaucoma — Amaurosis . . 178 
CHAPTER XIV. 

THE EAR AND ITS DISORDERS. 

Care of the Ears — Malformations and Injuries 
of the Ears — Accumulation of Wax — Ab- 
scess — Deafness — Polypus 190 

CHAPTER XV. 

SURGICAL DISEASES AND ACCIDENTS. 

Piles — Fistula of the Anus — Fissure of the Anus 
— Hernia, or Rupture — Varicose Veins — In- 
grown Toe Nails — Diseases of the Bones — 
Fractures — Sprains — Dislocations- Diseases 
of the Joints — Spinal Deformities — Knock 
Knee — Bowed Legs — Club Foot 196 



CONTENTS. U 

CHAPTER XVI. 

FOOD IN HEALTH AND DISEASE. 

Infant Feeding — Food for Adult Life — Food in 
Old Age — Fallacies Regarding Eating — 
Diet in Dyspepsia — Food in Biliousness — 
Food in Nervous Prostration — Food in 
Rheumatism — Food in Diabetes — Food in 
Consumption — Diet in Acute Diseases — 
Food in Convalescence 212 

CHAPTER XVII. 

ANTIDOTES FOR POISON. 

For Opium — Strychnine — Arsenic — Lead — Aco- 
nite — Belladonna — Carbolic Acid — Chloro- 
form — Coal Gas — Illuminating Gas — Oxalic 
Acid — Gelsemium — Chloral — Poisonous 
Mushrooms 229 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES. 

For Burns and Scalds — Pistol Wounds — Cuts — 
Bleeding from the Nose — Bleeding from the 
Lungs — Fainting — Convulsions — Drowning 
— Accidents from Collisions 237 



CHAPTER I. 

The Organs of Digestion. 

How to Preserve Health — Diseases of the 
Digestive Organs — Acute Indigestion — 
Chronic Dyspepsia — Catarrh of the Stom- 
ach — Jaundice — Diarrhea — Chronic Diar- 
rhea — Cholera Morbus — Dysentery — Chol- 
era Infantum — Habitual Constipation — 
Intestinal Worms, 

The organs of the body that take part in prepar- 
ing and distributing the material necessary to 
nourish the system are called the organs of diges- 
tion. These organs, when spoken of collectively, 
are called the digestive apparatus, which begins 
with the mouth and ends at the anus, and includes 
two large collateral structures. Naming them in 
order we have the mouth, oesophagus or gullet, 
stomach, small intestines, liver, pancreas or sweet 
bread, and large intestines. 

The mouth first receives the food. Here it is or 
should be thoroughly masticated, before it is swal- 
lowed. This not only prepares it for ready digestion 
in the stomach, but first mixes it with the saliva, 
a secretion from several small glands .that connect 



14 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

with the mouth by small tubes. The saliva causes 
a slight change in the food by converting starch 
into sugar, which is the first change the food un- 
dergoes.. It also renders swallowing easy. When 
the food reaches the stomach it stimulates the 
glands and muscles of that organ, so that the food 
is moved around, and thoroughly mixed with the 
gastric juice, which is the digestive fluid of the 
stomach, and is composed of water, pepsin, lactic 
acid, and albuminous and salty materials. When 
acting normally, the articles of food containing albu- 
min — and hence called albuminous substances, such 
as meats, eggs, milk, and portions of many vege- 
tables — are converted by the gastric juice into a 
substance called albuminose. This, with the starches, 
sugars, and fats, is now called chyme, and passes 
out of the stomach into the small intestines. The 
intestines secrete what is called intestinal juice, 
which, acting on the starch of the chyme, changes 
it into sugar. 

The pancreas produces a secretion of its own, 
which is emptied through a little canal into the 
intestines. This secretion is called pancreatic juice, 
and it acts on the fatty portion of the food, changing 
it into a substance called chyle. 

The liver also empties its secretion — bile — into 
the intestines, which helps to keep up the motion 
of the intestines, and also prevents fermentation, 
thus acting as a valuable auxiliary to digestion. 

It will thus be seen that the process of digestion. 



THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 1 5 

which is begun in the stomach, is completed in the 
intestines. As fast as the digestion is completed, 
the absorbents of the intestines suck it up, and 
carry it into the circulation. The fatty portion of 
the food that has been converted into chyle passes 
down, and is sucked up by innumerable little ves- 
sels called lacteals. These carry it to larger recep- 
ticals, and these again to a canal called the thoracic 
duct. This duct conveys material from various 
parts of the body to be further prepared for use by 
again passing through the blood. The chyle mixes 
with this fluid, and is carried into a vein under the 
left collar bone. From this vein it is carried with 
the impure blood to the right side of the heart; 
from that to the lungs, where certain impurities are 
removed, and thence back to the heart, the motor 
by which the pure, enriched blood is carried to 
every part of the body to feed and renew the 
tissues. 

All particles of food that are not acted upon by 
the digestive fluids pass into the large intestines, 
and are thrown off from the bowels as effete mate- 
rials. 

It will thus be seen that digestion is a compli- 
cated process, and that it must be properly per- 
formed in order to keep the entire body in a healthy 
condition. If digestion is impaired so that food 
is not supplied in the right form to the blood, the 
actions of the lungs and heart go on without supply- 
ing the tissues with nourishment, and both thes^ 



1 6 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

organs must soon become diseased in consequence. 
In short, nearly all functional and many organic 
diseases owe their beginning to imperfect diges- 
tion. How important is it, then, that every one 
should be familiar with the normal process of di- 
gestion, that they might recognize the first symp- 
toms of a departure therefrom. 

HOW TO PRESERVE HEALTH. 

Those who desire to keep well should be regular 
in all their habits; should eat a fair quantity of 
food composed of animal and vegetable products; 
should never eat so much as to feel uncomfortably 
full; should chew their food thoroughly before 
swallowing it; and should take as little fluid as pos- 
sible till the food is thoroughly masticated and 
swallowed. 

A rest of half an hour after severe physical or 
mental labor should always be taken before eating, 
and an hour's rest after a meal is always desirable. 
If this is not possible, a very light meal should be 
taken at noon, and the principal meal reserved for 
the evening, after the work of the day is over. 
Farmers and all persons engaged in severe physi- 
cal labor should rest from half an hour to an hour 
after a midday dinner, which is usually best for 
them if they can rest before resuming work. 

Those suffering from any great mental strain 
from any cause should abstain from hearty eating, 
for digestion cannot go on properly during such 



HOW TO PRESERVE HEALTH. 1 7 

excitement, and loading the stomach is sure to 
cause indigestion. 

It is better to eat something before retiring than 
to go to bed hungry. It is also wise for every one 
to avoid such articles of food as have been found 
by experience to disagree with them, no matter 
how wholesome they may be claimed to be. 

Many persons, especially those doing mental 
work, feel the need of some little stimulant. A 
little light table wine with the meal will be found 
a valuable aid to such persons, and can be taken 
with the certainty of deriving benefit from its use. 

One of the most important factors in perfect 
digestion is regular bowels. Every one should so 
habituate himself that the custom of having the 

bowels move at a regular hour in the morning be- 
comes a fixed habit. No engagements, however 
pressing, should interfere with this important call 
of nature, for when neglected one day, the desire 
is less the following day, and thus in a short time 
constipation is established. This is one of the 
most common causes of deranged digestion. Per- 
sons of sedentary habits should take some form of 
systematic exercise in the open air. Walking is 
well enough as far as it goes, but it is not enough. 
The muscles of the arms, chest, and abdomen, 
should be daily brought into action. Cycling is a 
most healthful fcrm of exercise for both sexes.* 

Bathing is also essential. A free actionof the 
skin relieves the lungs and kidneys of unnecessary 



18 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

work, and prevents the accumulation in the system 
of effete material. When they can be had, one or 
two Turkish baths a week will be found specially 
conducive to health. 

Attention to these few suggestions will enable 
the large majority of people to keep well, for a per- 
fect stomach and liver can always defy disease and 
the doctors. 

The several organs of digestion are liable to be 
affected by disease, acute or chronic, but as many 
of them are intricate, and require to be specially 
examined by the experienced physician, only such 
as can be easily recognized and treated at home 
will be considered in these pages. Among those 
most commonly met with we find acute indigestion, 
chronic dyspepsia, catarrh of the stomach, torpid 
liver or biliousness, jaundice, diarrhea, cholera 
morbus, cholera infantum, dysentery, habitual con- 
stipation, and intestinal worms all of which we 
will briefly consider in the order as named. 

ACUTE INDIGESTION. 

Acute indigestion is usually a temporary dis- 
turbance of stomach digestion, caused by taking 
into the stomach some indigestible substance, by 
over-loading the stomach with too much food, or 
eating heartily when the system is exhausted by 
overwork or mental anxiety. 

The symptoms are a sharp, cutting pain in the 
stomach, with a feeling as of a hard lump in the 



Acute indigestion. lg 

Stomach that will not move; sharp spasms of pain, 
followed by intervals of relaxation; and a bloating 
or distention of the stomach. These symptoms 
may show themselves during a meal, immediately 
after, or an hour or two, after eating. 

In severe cases the quickest relief is obtained by 
swallowing some stimulant. Two tablespoonfuls of 
good whisky or brandy without water, if possible, * 
is among the best remedies. Ten drops of tincture 
of red pepper and twenty drops of tincture of gin- 
ger in a little water may also be used to advantage 
by those who object to alcoholic stimulant. This 
treatment simply stimulates the muscles of the 
stomach to force the undigested food from the 
stomach. This will relieve the pain, but the diffi- 
culty is not always removed. The natural action 
of the stomach has been interfered with, and the 
intestines have more work than their own to per- 
form. Digestion must be promoted and the undi- 
gested food must be removed. 

As soon as the severe pain is relieved one of the 
Home Dyspepsia Pills should be taken, and should 
be continued after each meal for several days. A 
Home Liver Pill should also be taken at bed time, 
and repeated every night for several nights if nec- 
essary. 

CHRONIC DYSPEPSIA. 

Chronic dyspepsia is that form of indigestion 
that has resulted from a depressed or inactive state 



26 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

of the stomach. It is caused by the continued use 
of improper quality or excessive quantities of food, 
torpid liver, severe mental or physical effort imme- 
diately before or after eating, bad hygienic condi- 
tions, or a general depressed state of the system. 
It is often present in the aged, and may follow as a 
sequence, after any protracted illness. 

Symptoms. — A sense of fullness and weight felt 
soon after eating, and continuing till the stomach is 
empty, is the first well defined symptom of this dis- 
order. Following this, wind colic often gives 
annoyance; there is difficult breathing, palpitation 
of the heart which is often mistaken for heart dis- 
ease, constipation, coated tongue, and headache 
through the temples and eyeballs. The tongue is 
large and flabby and indented by the teeth around 
its edges. 

When the intestinal digestion is first interfered 
with the weight and distension are felt below the 
stomach proper, the lower part of the abdomen is 
distended with gas, and a constant rumbling is felt 
in the bowels. 

In either case the patient loses strength and flesh, 
the skin becomes pale and clammy, the hands and 
feet are cold, despondency ensues, memory is im- 
paired, and all ambition is lost. Of course these are 
the symptoms of the mere serious cases, but every 
dyspeptic will experience them in time if the dis- 
ease is not arrested. 

Treatment. — The most important thing to con- 



CHRONIC DYSPEPSIA. 21 

sider in the treatment of this disease is the diet. 
All articles of food containing starch and sugar 
should, as a rule, be avoided for a time, as these 
articles, when not digested, readily undergo fer- 
mentation, and thus distend the bowels with gas. 
Among the articles to be avoided are potatoes, 
corn, rice, white bread, beets, sugar, pastry, pud- 
dings, sweetmeats, and the like. Beef and mutton 
should be well masticated or chopped up fine before 
cooking, and should always be eaten rare. Milk, 
eggs, beans, peas, celery, lettuce, tomatoes, gra- 
ham bread, and bread made from gluten flour may 
be eaten, but the stomach should never be over- 
loaded. Ripe fruits, in season, are also good as a 
rule. Any article of food, however, that is known 
to disagree with a patient should always be avoid- 
ed, and strong condiments should never be used. 

When it does not disagree with a person, a little 
mild claret wine, taken after a small plate of soup, 
will be found very beneficial. Aged persons may 
take about two tablespoonfuls of good whisky or 
brandy about half an hour before a meal, and be 
greatly benefited by it. 

Next to the diet the condition of the liver and 
bowels should be considered. If the tongue is 
coated and the bowels constipated, the Home Liver 
Pills, used according to directions accompanying 
them, should be continued till these conditions are 
corrected. In addition, one Home Dyspepsia Pill 
should be taken immediately after each meal. In 



22 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

severe cases, in adults, two pills may often be re- 
quired at a dose for a week or two. 

When there is palpitation of the heart and diffi- 
cult breathing, speedy relief will often be obtained 
by taking twenty drops of essence of peppermint 
and as much bicarbonate of soda as can be held on 
a ten-cent silver piece. These can be dissolved in 
a little water and swallowed. 

In all such cases any severe mental strain or 
worry will retard recovery, so that in such cases the 
above treatment should be followed during a rest 
from business cares. 

CATARRH OF THE STOMACH. 

Catarrh of the stomach, though always causing 
indigestion, is different from the dyspepsia just de- 
scribed. It is an inflammation of the membranes 
of the stomach, which results, in many cases, in a 
thickening of the lining membrane and a congestion 
of the bloodvessels of the stomach. 

This condition is caused by the continued use of 
highly seasoned foods, the excessive use of stimu- 
lants, insufficient mastication, overloading the 
stomach, the use of very hot or very cold drinks, 
and the continued use of morphine or other power- 
ful narcotics. 

Sometimes an acute attack may occur, when the 
patient will be feverish, the stomach nauseated and 
tender on pressure. Great thirst may be present, 
and the stomach rejects every thing that enters it. 



CHRONIC DYSPEPSIA. 23 

Such an acute attack may pass into a chronic or 
long-standing inflammation, but usually the chronic 
form seems to have been gradually developed from 
long-continued congestion, without the develop- 
ment of any marked acute symptoms. 

Many of the symptoms are the same as those of 
ordinary dyspepsia. The distention of the stomach 
and bowels with gases is more marked; and in 
some cases severe cutting neuralgic pains are pro- 
duced. Pain is usually present, but at one time it 
is more severe when the stomach is full, and at an- 
other time when it is empty. Acid eructations often 
rise to the throat, heart-burn and water-brash occur, 
and in many cases the distress is not relieved till 
vomiting occurs. In short, all the symptoms of or- 
dinary dyspepsia are present in very aggravated 
form, with some other distressing ones added. 

Treatment. — The same general attention to diet 
as before described is imperative, and our Home 
Liver Pills and Home Dyspepsia Pills should be 
used in ths same way. 

In this disease a goblet full of water, as hot as 
can be swallowed, will be of great value if taken 
every morning, an hour before breakfast. This 
warms the stomach, and loosens and removes the 
thick mucus that has accumulated during the 
night. 

When these cases have, been of long standing an 
experienced physician should be consulted, for it 
maybe necessary to reach the inside of the stomach 



24 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

with medicated injections to prevent the develop- 
ment of ulceration. 

TORPID LIVER OR BILIOUSNESS. 

By torpid liver is meant a condition in which the 
bile accumulates in the liver instead of passing in- 
to the intestines. This leaves the complexion sal- 
low, causes brown patches to form on the skin, 
creates a tenderness on pressure along the lower 
margin of the ribs on the right side, over the liver, 
and causes pain under or between the shoulder- 
blades. The tongue is coated, the bowels consti- 
pated, a feeling of languor and drowsiness is felt, 
and sleep fails to afford relief from the tired feeling. 
When these symptoms continue, dyspepsia is sure 
to follow. 

Treatment. — Stimulate the liver to action so that 
the bile is thrown into the intestines in normal 
quantity, and the difficulty is removed. This can 
always be done by the Home Liver Pills, which 
may confidently be said to be specific for torpid liver. 
One pill should be taken on going to bed, for several 
nights in succession. When the bowels move free- 
ly more than once a day, a pill should only be taken 
every second or third night, as required. If one 
pill at a time does not move the bowels copiously 
after two or three days, two pills should be taken at 
a dose, and even three may be taken by some per- 
sons. It is always best, however, to commence 



JAUNDICE — DIARRHEA 25 

with one pill, and gradually increase the dose if 
necessary. 

JAUNDICE. 

Jaundice is a condition caused by the retention 
of the bile in a torpid liver to such a degree that it 
is absorbed into the blood. It imparts the greenish- 
yellow hue of the bile to the skin, eyes, andother 
tissues, and hence it is easily recognized. 

Treatment. — The free use of the Home Liver 
Pills should be resorted to at once. A hot lemon- 
ade or whisky sling on going to bed — or, what is 
better, when it can be had, a Turkish bath — will 
open the pores of the skin and thus help to remove 
the bile from the blood. A few teaspoonful doses 
of sweet spirits of nitre to act on the kidneys will 
also serve a good purpose. 

During the continuance of the jaundice it is best 
to abstain as much as possible from hearty eating. 

DIARRHEA. 

Simple diarrhea is too well known to require any 
special description. It is usually met with during 
the summer season, and indigestible articles of 
food, with the high temperature, seem to act as ex- 
citing causes of the disease. Exposure to cold and 
damp air, and the sudden arrest of perspiration, 
also act as exciting causes in producing it. 

Bilious diarrhea is a condition to which some 
people are frequently liable at any season of the 



26 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

year. This is caused when a large quantity of bile 
passes into the small intestines at once, after its 
passage had been obstructed for some time. 

Treatment. — During an attack of diarrhea it is 
best to abstain from eating, and also to avoid 
drinking as much as possible, till the severity of the 
attack is over. If there is much pain in the bowels, 
as'might be caused by the presence of some undi- 
gested portion of food, a dose of castor oil will prove 
of great service in removing the offending sub- 
stance. It can be taken with a little coffee, and is 
not as disagreeable to take as many suppose. 

Then the patient should keep as quiet as possi- 
ble and take one of the Home Cholera Pills every 
hour till relieved or till five or six doses are taken. 
After the attack is first controlled, the pills may be 
continued every three or four hours, if necessary, 
until there is no likelihood of a recurrence. 

Such attacks are apt to leave a person constipat- 
ed, but this condition is readily overcome by using 
the Home Liver Pills for a few nights. 

CHRONIC DIARRHEA. 

Chronic Diarrhea is a name applied to such 
cases of diarrhea as are of long standing, attacks 
occurring at short intervals, at all seasons of the 
year. This is due to deranged conditions of 
stomach and iiver. 

None of these cases can be cured by taking the 
ordinary diarrhea medicines. We must begin right 



CHOLERA MORBUS. 2"} 

or the disease will continue. Our Dyspepsia Pills 
should be used after each meal, and the Home 
Liver Pill at bedtime. If these remedies are 
followed up for a time the worst cases of chronic 
diarrhea can be cured. 

CHOLERA MORBUS. 

Cholera Morbus is an acute inflammation of the 
lining membrane of the stomach and intestines. 
It comes on suddenly, and is ushered in by 
diarrhea, which is soon followed by vomiting. 
Severe attacks are often mistaken for Asiatic 
cholera. It may come on at any season of the year, 
though it is more prevalent in the summer and 
autumn. 

Sudden changes of temperature, prostration 
from continued heat, the fermentation of undigest- 
ed foods, drinking ice-water when overheated, and 
eating unripe fruit or vegetables may give rise to 
the disorder. 

For several days before the attack the patient feels 
languid and depressed, the tongue is coated, and 
some diarrhea and slight nausea have been present. 
Then a chill occurs, usually in the night, and the 
patient awakes with severe colic and vomiting. 
The purging then becomes severe, and the patient 
is greatly prostrated in a short time. Sometimes 
the attack will come on without warning of any 
kind. It is severe while it lasts, which may be from 
a few hours to several days. 



28 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

Treatment. — To avoid the development of cholera 
morbus all cases of diarrhea should be treated at 
once with Home Cholera Pills, given according to 
directions. When the attack has fully developed, 
small pieces of ice or cold champagne may be given 
to allay the vomiting, and a mustard poultice, made 
of equal parts of flour and mustard, should be applied 
over the stomach and bowels. When the vomiting 
is allayed the cholera pills should be given, and re- 
peated every half hour for three or four doses, and 
afterward at longer intervals, as directed in circular. 
A teaspoonful of good brandy in about the same 
quantity of water should be given at short inter- 
vals till the patient recovers from the extreme pros- 
tration. 

Where this treatment fails to give prompt relief 
some other complication is sure to be present, and 
a physician should be called without delay. 

After the attack is over the liver usually becomes 
torpid and the bowels constipated. In such condi- 
tion our Home Liver Pill should be used. 

DYSENTERY. 

Dysentery differs from the diseases above de- 
scribed by being an inflammation and ulceration of 
the large intestines. It is caused by the same gen- 
eral conditions as develop the diseases of other 
portions of the bowels, but is influenced by mala- 
rial conditions to such an extent as to develop it as 
an epidemic. 



DYSENTERY. 20, 

It begins about the same as an ordinary diar- 
rhea, but the discharges soon have a sticky white 
appearance, and finally they become bloody. It is 
this that has given to the disease the name of 
11 bloody flux." 

The first symptoms closely resemble those of 
cholera morbus, without much nausea, but soon 
severe colicky pains are felt on either side of the 
abdomen above the groin; there is a feeling of 
pressure and uneasiness in the lower bowel, and a 
spasm at the anus (back passage), which is intensely 
painful. The discharges, of a jelly-like mucus, are 
streaked with blood at first, but when the disease 
continues they appear almost like pure blood, and 
are very frequent. 

In most cases there will be considerable fever, 
which is likely to come on at a certain time of the 
day, most usually in the afternoon. It lasts for 
several hours and then subsides. 

Treatment. — At the onset of the disease our 
Cholera Pill should be used freely. Two pills may 
be given at a dose, and repeated in half an hour. 
After the second dose, they should not be taken 
oftener than once in two hours. 

If there is much fever twenty drops of tincture 
of aconite root should be put in a goblet with six 
tablespoonfuls of water, and a teaspoonful given 
from the goblet every half hour till the fever sub- 
sides. 

The diet should be milk, with one-quarter lime- 



30 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

water added, beef juice, raw oysters if fresh, eggs, 
egg-nog (made with eggs, brandy, and milk), cus- 
tard, etc. Solid foods should be avoided. 

Sometimes it is necessary to make a starch solu- 
tion of the consistency of syrup, and to add to half 
a pint a teaspoonful of laudanum, and inject that 
quantity into the rectum with a Davidson syringe. 
The patient should rest on the left side, and after 
using the injection a napkin should be pressed 
against the anus to prevent the starch solution from 
escaping at once. 

After the bowel trouble subsides, Home Malaria 
Pills should be taken for a week or ten days, or 
longer, if the patient does not regain strength 
speedily. 

CHOLERA INFANTUM. 

Cholera Infantum is a name applied to an in- 
flammation of the lining membrane of the stomach 
and intestines of children, which usually occurs 
during the teething period. It is analogous to 
cholera morbus in the adult, and is attended by 
vomiting, purging, and considerable fever. It is 
often called "summer cholera" and "summer 
complaint." 

The disease occurs in young infants when the 
mother's milk is defective in quality, or when the 
child is fed from the bottle with improperly pre- 
pared food. It is, however, more common at the 
age of teething, when the nervous system has been 



CHOLERA DfFAN 

irritated, and when children are allowed to eat con- 
siderable bread, pota:: r? s ireets and sn 
as the system is not yet capable of digesting. 

The restlessness irritability, and feverishness. 
that precede ac attack ire so well known to every 
mother that they need no description here. The 
bowels may be loose for several days before vom- 
iting sets in, though vomiting and purging 
often begin at once without much previous dis- 
turbance. 

The discharges from the bowels soon become 
watery, and are greenish or greenish-yell: " in 
color. The abdomen is tender to the touch, the 
legs are drawn up, and the slightest motion cause? 
and the child to cry out or moan. Nothing 
will remain on the stomach, and the retching is 
often severe. The child soon looks thin in the face 
and body, the eyes are sunken and half closed the 
mouth is partly open, and the lips are dry and 

The disease often develops inflammation of the 
DOvcring of the spinal cord and brain, when the 

back of the head becomes extremely hot, the head 
moves incessantly, and the child sinks into a stupor 
i n i :ie> 

This lisease is rr.:s: frequently developed as a 
result of ignorance of the parents in regard to the 
proper way to feed children under four years of 
age. For full directions on this subject see ai 
on "Infant Feeding in this manual, 



32 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

Treatment, — Attention to what is taken into the 
atomach is the first consideration in the treatment 
of this disease. Nourishment either from the 
breast or bottle should be given at longer intervals 
than usual, and should be much less than usual in 
quantity. Small pieces of ice to suck should be 
substituted for large draughts of water. See article 
on " Infant Feeding" for preparation of milk as a 
substitute for mother's milk. Bathing two or three 
times a day in water at ioo Q at first and gradually 
cooled to 8o° materially aids in reducing the fever, 
and is grateful to the child. 

The vomiting is often allayed by from ten to 
twenty drops of pure brandy, given in water, every 
two, three, or four, hours. 

In the way of medicines the following will be 
found very serviceable in promptly relieving the 
disease in the majority of cases: To eight table- 
spoonfuls of water in a goblet add six drops of 
tincture of aconite root. To another goblet with 
the same quantity of water add ten drops of tinc- 
ture of ipecac and five drops of tincture of nux 
vomica. Commence by giving a teaspoonful from 
the first goblet, and fifteen minutes after a tea- 
I spoonful from the second goblet. Continue alter- 
nating the medicine, one being given after the 
other with fifteen minutes between doses. When 
the fever subsides the doses can be given half 
an hour apart, and as the symptoms improve 
longer intervals should pass between doses. The 



HABITUAL CONSTIPATION. 33 

child should not be disturbed when asleep. This 
treatment, with attention to diet, will cure even 
severe cases. 

When the head symptoms are present, ten drops 
of tincture of gelsemium should be substituted for 
the tincture of aconite, and the doses alternated as 
before. 

In all severe cases it is best to send for a physi- 
cian. 

HABITUAL CONSTIPATION. 

As constipation is always associated with some 
other derangement, it is important always to ascer- 
tain and remove the cause, if possible. Attention 
to diet is of the first importance, and on this point 
the reader is referred to the directions regarding 
the same as given in Chapter XVI. 

Our Home Liver Pills, when taken according to 
directions, will overcome the worst cases of habit- 
ual constipation. Rowing, a gentle lifting exercise, 
or any motion, that will bring all the muscles of the 
body into action, will be found a great help in the 
right direction. Gently kneading and rubbing over 
the surface of the bowels, for twenty minutes every 
morning, will also materially help. Regularity as 
to the time of going to stool must not be forgotten 
either, for a neglect of this necessary precaution 
will greatly retard the desired regularity in the 
action of the bowels. 

By following these directions and taking the 



34 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

pills till the bowels move freely and the tongue is no 
longer coated the constipation can be cured. For 
a few days after discontinuing the pills, there may 
be a slight tendency to constipation, but if the effort 
to secure a motion is followed every day, the bowels 
will become as regular as clock-work. 

INTESTINAL WORMS. 

Worms of various kinds are produced and devel- 
oped in the human body, and this remarkable fact 
constitutes one of the most interesting and astonish- 
ing studies in connection with medical science. 
They are found in many of the organs and tissues 
of the body, but are most frequently met with in the 
digestive canal. 

It may be interesting to know that thirty different 
kinds of worms are known to infest the human body 
under varying conditions. Of these, three kinds are 
often met with in the intestines, and are known as 
round or stomach worms, thread-worms and tape- 
worms. It is with these only that we will deal at 
present. 

The presence of worms in the bowels is made 
manifest by the following symptoms: paleness of the 
face which sometimes changes to a dirty red or 
bluish hue, dark circles around the eyes, itching of 
the nostrils and anus (back passage), disturbed sleep, 
grinding of the teeth during sleep, swelling of the 
abdomen, griping pains in the bowels, and slimy 
Stools, which are very irregular. The appetite 



INTESTINAL WORMS. 35 

varies greatly, being voracious at one time and ca- 
pricious at another. 

Though these symptoms point to the presence of 
worms, they are not always reliable. The only cer- 
tainty is the presence of worms or parts of them in 
the passages from the bowels. 

Round-worms vary in length from six to ten 
inches, and in general appearance closely resemble 
the earth worm commonly used as a bait while fish- 
ing. They are present in the small intestines of 
children and sickly persons who are badly fed. 

The swollen abdomen, colicky pains, slimy pas- 
sages from the bowels, and the peculiarly disagree- 
able breath at once suggest the presence of round 
worms. 

The thread -worms, or pin worms, as the smaller 
ones are called, are usually found in the lower 
bowel, and may often be seen on the surface of the 
skin, having worked themselves through the anus. 
They will even extend and find their way into the 
vagina in female children, and produce a whitish 
discharge, the cause of which often remains a mys- 
tery. They will sometimes form in solid bunches, 
which materially interfere with the natural action of 
the bowels. 

These worms cause a feeling of fullness and 
pressure in the rectum, extreme itching at and 
around the fundament, oozing of slimy matter, irri- 
table temper, and at times great depression of 
spirits. 



36 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

Tape-worm is found in the small intestines, and 
varies from a few feet to twenty or thirty yards in 
length. It is flat, and formed of numerous pieces 
ranging from one-eighth to one-half inch in length, 
and nearly as broad, which are joined together by 
joints resembling those of sugar cane. The tape- 
worm is more commonly met with in adults, while 
the other two varieties are incidental to childhood. 
The latter occur in great numbers while the tape- 
worm is usually single. The general symptoms 
already given are usually present, and in addition 
the sufferer eats voraciously, is always hungry, but 
remains thin and lean. There is no certain symp- 
tom, however, of the presence of the tape-worm ex- 
cept when sections of it are passed from the bowels. 

Treatment. — In treating round- worms and thread- 
worms the patient should abstain from eating dur- 
ing the greater portion of the day and before going 
to bed. Home Worm Lozenges should be given, 
according Jo directions. The following morning 
from one teaspoonful to a tablespoonful of castor 
oil, with from ten to thirty drops of oil of turpentine 
should be administered before breakfast, the dose 
being regulated according to the age. There is no 
better remedy for this purpose than this old-fashion- 
ed, much-despised castor oil. If worms are present 
they are pretty certain to be passed with the first 
motion of the bowels. If no worms appear, the 
treatment may be tried again in a few days. 

The thread-worms are often best removed by an 



INTESTINAL WORMS, 37 

injection into the rectum of a strong solution of 
warm salt and water, in addition to the above treat- 
ment. 

In the treatment of tape-worm a great variety of 
remedies have been recommended, but the most 
effectual is the oil of male-fern. After fasting for 
twelve hours, a tablespoonful of oil of male-fern, 
mixed with two tablespoonfuls of syrup, should be 
taken at bed-time. The following morning an 
ounce of castor oil, with a teaspoonful of the oil of 
turpentine, should be taken before breakfast. If 
there is any tape-worm present this treatment will 
certainly remove it, but a second trial may be 
necessary before the entire worm is expelled. The 
worm should be examined to ascertain if the head 
is expelled, for if it is not it will be rapidly repro- 
duced. 



33 



CHAPTER II. 

Malarial Diseases. 

Malarial Fevers — Intermittent Fever — Remit- 
tent, or Bilious, Fever. 

Under the general heading of Malarial Diseases 
are included all those disorders that are known to 
be produced by the absorption into the system of a 
poisonous germ from the atmosphere which is com- 
monly called malaria, or marsh-miasm. It has 
been demonstrated that in certain seasons of the 
year, and in some regions of country where vege- 
table substances have been under moisture for a 
time, and then exposed to the rays of the sun, 
minute disease germs are produced in such quan- 
tities as to poison the atmosphere for a considerable 
distance around. This condition occurs in low- 
lying swampy ground, where fresh water abounds, 
and is more common in the summer and fall. 
Digging up and exposing fresh earth to any extent 
also develops or liberates these germs. 

While there can be no mistaking the symptoms 
of true malaria, it is nevertheless true that the 
term malaria is often so loosely used as to be ap- 



MALARIAL FEVERS. 39 

plied to any condition for which the doctor cannot 
find a better term. 

The absorption of the malaria germs by the sys- 
tem produces conditions which vary in proportion 
to the amount of absorption which has taken place. 
The symptoms may vary from slight languor and 
chilliness, to the most violent ague and fever, and 
different names have been applied to the different 
conditions developed, As a rule, a healthy, robust 
person may be exposed to a malarious atmosphere 
for a long time without being affected in the least 
thereby; while a person in poor health or with a 
torpid liver is very likely to suffer from some mala- 
rial disease. 

MALARIAL FEVERS 

Malarial fevers are properly divided into two 
kinds, viz., intermittent and remittent fevers; but 
these have received different names by which they 
are often popularly known. 

Intermittent fever is of malarial origin, and re- 
ceives its name from the fact that it occurs periodi- 
cally, leaving the patient comparatively well be- 
tween the attacks. It begins with a chill and cold 
stage, which is followed by a hot stage, and that 
again by a sweating stage. 

It is variously called chills, fever and ague, but 
more properly ague and fever, and dumb ague. 
These names owe their origin to the several symp- 
toms developed by the varying degrees of severity 



40 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

of the disease. When there is a feeling of languor, 
with frequent recurrences of slight chills, followed 
by flashes of heat, the term "chills" is applied; 
when there is a continued cold stage with slight 
fever following, and little or no sweating, it is called 
dumb ague; but when there is a pronounced chill, 
continued from half an hour to an hour or two, with 
feeling of intense cold, and this is followed by a 
high fever, which lasts as long, and finally gives 
way to profuse sweating, we have a fully developed 
intermittent fever, or ague and fever. 

When the sweating stage is over, the patient 
feels almost as well as usual, but after a certain 
regular interval the paroxysm recurs and takes the 
same course as before. Sometimes the attacks 
come on every day, while they may only recur every 
second, third, or fourth day. Whatever the inter- 
val may be the paroxysms, when renewed, follow 
the same course as at first. In many cases the dis- 
ease is so persistent and severe that the patient is 
entirely worn out and life becomes a burden. 

Many times, before this disease is fully develop- 
ed, the patient suffers from general languor and 
depression of spirit, has a continuous headache, 
pains in the muscles, coated tongue, and constipated 
bowels. 

These symptoms, especially in malarial districts, 
should be sufficient warning, and some preventive 
treatment should be at once adopted. 

Re7nittent fever , also called bilious fever, and bil- 



MALARIAL FEVERS. 41 

ious remittent fever, is only another form of malaria. 
The cause that produces it, the premonitory symp- 
toms, and the ushering in of the attack are about 
the same as met with in intermittent fever. When 
the aitack is once developed, however, the disease 
continues till it is broken up by treatment, or runs 
its course. At a certain hour every day, or every 
other, there is a remission of the fever, marked by 
slight perspiration. This lasts for a short time, and 
the fever again manifests itself as before. In mild 
cases the remission is of longer duration, and a chill 
ushers in the next paroxysm. In severe cases, 
however, the fever is almost continuous, and often 
assumes a low, typhoid type, which may at any time 
prove fatal. 

Treatment. — All treatment of malarial fevers 
must have in view the relief of the patient during 
the paroxysm, the prevention of a recurrence, and 
destroying the poison in the system, so as to effect 
a permanent cure. 

When the first symptoms are felt, and before the 
chill or fever occurs, the Home Malaria Pill should 
be taken. It will also be found necessary to pro- 
mote a good action on the liver by the use of the 
Home Liver Pill. Both these remedies should be 
used continuously till all the symptoms have entire- 
ly disappeared. Even then the malaria pill should 
betaken for three days of each week for four weeks 
to prevent a relapse. This has been found neces- 
sary on account of a tendency to a recurrence of 



42 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

malaria every seventh, fourteenth, twenty-first, and 
twenty-eighth days. No malarial medicine should 
be given during the chill or fever. 

During the continuance of the cold stage the pa- 
tient should be well covered up in bed, with hot 
bottles or irons to the feet and hands, if desired. 

When the hot stage comes on all extra bed-cloth- 
ing should be removed. Cool drinks maybe given, 
and in severe cases the skin may be bathed with 
water at about eighty degrees temperature. 

To shorten the febrile stage and render the pa- 
tient more comfortable, three drops of the tincture 
of gelsemium should be given in a teaspoonful of 
water every fifteen or twenty minutes till perspira- 
tion commences. This treatment will materially 
shorten the hot stage. 

For the sweating stage nothing can be done but 
to wipe the body with a towel, and to give the pa- 
tient whatever drink may be desired. 

Should one malaria pill every three hours fail to 
prevent a recurrence of a second paroxysm, two 
pills should be taken every three hours. 



CHAPTER III. 

Specific Germ Diseases. 

Small-Pox — Chicken-Pox — Measles — Erysipelas 
— Cholera — Yellow Fever — Diphtheria-La 
Grippe, or Influenza — Hay Fever — Whoop- 
ing Cough — Mumps — Typhoid Fever. 

Modern science has demonstrated that a large 
number of our most fatal, as well as most prevalent 
diseases, are due to the inhaling and absorbing of 
certain specific germs from the atmosphere. Some 
go so far as to say that all diseases are caused by 
disease germs, but this claim cannot be verified by 
any satisfactory proof. There are, however, enough 
of such diseases about which there is no dispute, 
and these we will briefly describe without any at- 
tempt at special qualification. 

Small-pox, chicken-pox, measles, German meas- 
les, scarlet fever, and erysipelas, are usually de- 
scribed as eruptive fevers; while cholera, diphthe- 
ria, influenza, hay fever, whooping cough, and 
mumps, are classed as miasmatic diseases. 

Whatever may be the character of the specific 
poisons or germs that produce these diseases, cer- 



44 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

tain it is that nature makes an effort to rid the sys- 
tem from the intruders, and thus the symptoms of 
the various diseases are produced. It is therefore 
necessary to direct all efforts in the line of treat- 
ment to the destruction of the specific germs. 

SMALL-POX. 

Small-pox is an eruptive disease, especially con- 
tagious in character. 

The first symptoms are languor and depression, 
such as precedes all fevers, intense pain in the 
back and legs, with severe headache. After a few 
days a severe chill is felt, and then a high fever 
sets in, and lasts for three or four days. An erup- 
tion shows itself at this time, when the fever and 
pain in the back and head are all relieved. The 
eruption at first consists of slightly elevated red 
points, which are somewhat hard, and feel like 
small shot under the finger. The second day after 
the eruption appears the red points enlarge, and 
look like inflamed pimples, and by the third day a 
clear fluid is seen under a delicate vesicle. In 
about two days more the top of each vesicle has 
the appearance of a pimple filled with pus, or mat- 
ter; when full, the vesicle flattens and falls in till a 
marked depression is formed. 

It is only after the vesicle forms that the disease 
can be communicated, and usually from eight to 
fourteen days may intervene after exposure before 
the first symptoms begin to show themselves. 



SMALL-POX. 45 

Some claim that persons who have been vacci- 
nated have a milder form of the disease, which is 
called varioloid. This is a fallacy, and we believe 
the day is not far distant when vaccination will be 
abandoned in all civilized countries. 

Treatment. — It has long been known that oxygen 
destroys minute germs of all kinds, and the aim 
has always been to supply extra oxygen to the 
blood in some way. Little success had been attained 
however, until concentrated oxygen in the form of 
ozone was manufactured, so that water could be 
strongly charged with it. This has been success- 
fully done in Germany, and the process with the 
complete apparatus was obtained at great expense 
and brought to America, and the Home Treatment 
has now the exclusive right to manufacture ozone 
water by the only method by which ozone can be 
utilized in the treatment of disease. 

In ozone, therefore, we have a specific in the 
treatment of small-pox and all other diseases that 
are caused by disease germs. It should be taken 
internally, as well as used to wash the pustules. 
If the pustules are not rubbed or scratched, and 
the ozone water is applied freely several times a 
day, the patient is made very comfortable, and 
pitting is prevented. 

During the prevalence of small-pox ozone vapor 
should be generated in the rooms, and if a person 
has been exposed the water should be drank freely, 
according to directions. 



46 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

For full particulars of this wonderful agent, care- 
fully read the article on ozone in this Manual, 

CHICKEN-POX. 

Chicken-pox is a very mild form of eruptive fever 
which is generally met with in childhood. An erup- 
tion on the body is the first symptom to attract atten- 
tion. Its appearance is that of a crop of small 
water blisters, which soon extend to the extremities. 
There is a slight fever manifest about the same 
time as the appearance of the eruption. The ves- 
icles dry up and fall off in from three to five days, 
and the fever then disappears. 

There is no special treatment necessary, except 
to avoid exposure to cold during the continuance of 
the eruption, 

MEASLES. 

Measles is well known to almost every mother. 
It is easily communicated from one person to an- 
other, and is believed by many to be in the atmos- 
phere. It certainly occurs epidemically, and will 
often attack children who have not been directly 
exposed. 

The period of incubation ranges from twelve to 
fourteen days. The disease is one especially of 
childhood, though adults are also frequently attack- 
ed by it, and one attack does not necessarily pre- 
vent another. 

A feeling of languor, muscular soreness, head- 



MEASLES — SCARLET FEVER. 47 

ache and backache, followed by frequent chills, or 
on the third or fourth day by a pronounced rigor and 
fever, are the first symptoms. The eyes, nose, and 
throat, are also inflamed, and the eyes and nose us- 
ually discharge a watery secretion. The first symp- 
toms are often so severe that the nature of the 
disease cannot be determined till the eruption 
appears. 

On the fourth day the eruption appears, and as 
it develops the fever subsides. The eruption is 
elevated under the skin, and the elevated spots 
are red, but begin to fade about the seventh 
day. 

Treatment. — Little can be done to relieve the pa- 
tient during the initial stage except to keep him 
quiet in bed. After the fever develops warm drinks 
should be used freely to promote the eruption, and 
the body can be frequently bathed with equal parts 
of hot water and ozone water. The ozone water 
should be taken internally as soon as the first 
symptoms appear. Where there are other children 
they should take the ozone water as a preventive, 
and the rooms should be thoroughly disinfected 
with ozone vapor. 

For full particulars carefully read article on 
ozone in this Manual. 

SCARLET FEVER. 

Scarlet fever is another of the contagious dis- 
eases that is developed by a specific germ poison. 



48 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

It is the most serious, and proves the most fatal of 
all the diseases of its class. 

The premonitory symptoms are about the same 
as those met with in the other eruptive fevers. In 
most cases there is a marked inflammation with 
soreness of the throat. 

The fever is generally continuous and severe, 
and the eruption, which appears at the end of the 
first or beginning of the second day, is a pale red 
at first but soon becomes almost scarlet, and spreads 
rapidly over the entire body. The eruption fades 
away after from three to seven days, and the entire 
outer skin peals off in scales. 

Treatment. — This disease should always be at- 
tended by a physician. The free use of ozone 
water from the beginning and the generating of 
ozone in the sick room should be kept up, no mat- 
ter what other treatment may be employed. Warm 
drinks and milk punch are of great service in pro- 
moting the eruption and keeping up the strength. 
A teaspoonful of powdered borax and the same 
amount of salt, dissolved in a gobletful of ozone 
water, should be used freely as a gargle, when the 
throat is inflamed. 

After the disease is over, if there is a discharge 
from the ear or an inflammation of the eyes, an 
experienced surgeon should be consulted without 
delay, as neglect of these common sequences often 
results in loss of sight or hearing. 

See article on ozone in this Manual, 



ERYSIPELAS — CHOLERA. 49 

ERYSIPELAS, 

Erysipelas is now recognized as a disease of the 
blood, produced by a specific germ, though many 
have considered it especially a disease of the skin^ 

It begins with the same symptoms as the other 
eruptive fevers, and after the fever begins an in- 
flamed point is seen on the face or some other part 
of the body. It spreads rapidly, presents a livid 
red appearance, with a thickening and hardness of 
the affected part. The pain is of a burning, scald- 
ing character, and the fever is often very severe. 

Treatment, — Here, too, the internal use of ozone 
water is valuable, and the best external application 
that can be used is sheets of absorbent cotton or 
carded wool saturated in the ozone water. It is 
always best after the first application to moisten the 
cotton without removing it, thus more effectually 
excluding the air from the inflamed surface. 

Dialysed iron should be given in half teaspoon- 
ful doses, in water, four or five times a day, and in 
some cases our malaria pill will prove of great ben- 
efit while the patient is recovering from his attack. 

CHOLERA, 

Cholera is an epidemic infectious disease, which 
is characterized by vomiting and purging, and a 
final condition of collapse, which usually results in 
death. In some cases a reaction occurs after the 
relapse and the patient slowly improves and finally 



50 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

recovers. It is spoken of as Asiatic cholera, and 
epidemic cholera. It is generally admitted at the 
present day that this disease is propagated by a 
minute organism which is popularly called a cholera 
germ. Fortunately the disease seldom reaches 
this country, and when it does, with our improved 
quarantine and hygienic regulations, its spread is 
limited to a comparatively small territory. 

Most cases of cholera begin with ordinary diar- 
rhea, which if permitted to continue, will develop 
into a genuine case of cholera. When the disease 
is prevalent this diarrhea, at first simple, soon 
assumes the type of cholera morbus, and after a 
few days there is a marked degree of chilliness and 
a sense of anxiety or fear seizes the patient. The 
discharges from the bowels and stomach come on 
with great force and are very copious. They have 
a grayish-whitish appearance and are often spoken 
of as rice-water discharges. There is intense thirst, 
the tongue is cold and has a white pasty coating, 
the countenance is sunken and of a leaden hue, the 
nose is pinched, the eyes staring, and the breath 
cool. Cramps are soon felt in the legs, arms, and 
the muscles of the back and abdomen; the skin be- 
comes cold and covered with a sticky perspiration; 
the fingers, nose, and lips, assume a blue color, rings 
form around the eyes, the urine is suppressed or 
greatly diminished, and complete collapse occurs, 
and death takes place in from twenty to forty-eight 
hours from the first onset of the disease. In 



CHOLERA. 51 

some instances, death may occur in two or three 
hours. 

Treatment. — During the prevalence of cholera, 
no case of diarrhea, however slight, should be over- 
looked, and the greatest precaution should betaken 
regarding diet. Unripe fruit and vegetables should 
be carefully avoided, moderate quantities only of 
the most nutritious foods should be taken, irregular 
habits, excessive use of stimulants, and exhaustion 
from over-work, should be carefully avoided. The 
discharges from cholera patients should be imme- 
diately removed and thoroughly disinfected with 
strong carbolic acid or some agent equally as power- 
ful. Not only the houses in which cholera existed, 
but all houses in the neighborhood, should be thor- 
oughly fumigated with ozone vapor, and ozone 
water should be freely drank in preference to that 
from the ordinary water supply. By these means 
the cholera germs are destroyed and thus prevent- 
ed from impregnating the atmosphere, and the use 
of the ozone water will prevent their introduction 
into the system. 

At the first appearance of the diarrhea Home 
Cholera Pills should be used freely, according to 
directions, the patient should be kept quiet, mustard 
should be applied over the stomach and abdomen, 
and the fears of the patient should be allayed as 
much as possible. When evidence of collapse be- 
gins, brandy should be freely administered by the 
mouth, or if it cannot be retained, it should be inject- 



52 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

ed under the skin. It should be, however, borne in 
mind that in all cases of cholera the family physician 
should be called at the early stage of the disease. 

DIPHTHERIA. 

Diphtheria is an acute, contagious disease, 
caused by specific disease germs, which poison the 
system and develop local manifestations in the 
throat, with enlargement of the tonsils and other 
glands of the neck. The throat affection is in the 
form of an ulceration, which is soon covered by a 
whitish or brownish exudation. 

The first symptoms of the disease are those of 
languor and depression, which may last for several 
days. In some cases there are the ordinary symp- 
toms of catarrh present, with heat, irritation, and 
pain in the throat, with much soreness on attempt- 
ing to swallow. In two or three days a chilly feel- 
ing is developed, or a pronounced rigor may occur; 
this is followed by fever, headache, backache, and 
muscular pains. In some cases these symptoms 
are very violent, and in others comparatively mild. 
The tongue is covered with a thick white coating, 
and the tonsils and back part of the throat are cov- 
ered with grayish white patches. These rapidly 
extend over the entire throat, and form a false 
membrane which would soon obstruct the air pas- 
sages. In many cases the patient will not complain 
of sore throat until the disease is well developed, 
and extensive ulceration will be found in the throat 



DIPHTHERIA. 53 

on the first examination. The exudation in the 
throat itself forms a poison, and if not removed, 
absorption into the blood takes place from it, and 
more serious symptoms are developed. 

Treatment. — Ozone water will be found of great 
advantage both in the treatment of this disease and 
as a prevention against it when it prevails in any 
locality. It should be drank freely, and can be used 
as a gargle or with a spraying apparatus for the 
throat every hour or two during the day. When 
the ulceration first appears, its spread can be arrest- 
ed and its virulence destroyed by the application 
of carbolic acid with a camel's-hair brush. Two 
teaspoonfuls of pure carbolic acid should be added 
to one teaspoonful of glycerine. With the tongue 
well depressed with a spoon, this mixture should 
be freely applied to the ulcerated parts, care being 
taken not to have enough on the brush to allow it 
to run down the throat and burn unaffected parts. 

In cases where the fever is high, benefit will be 
derived from the use of the following: Tincture of 
veratrum viride (Norwoods'), three drops; water, 
six ounces, or twelve tablespoonfuls. Of this a 
teaspoonful can be given to children over three 
years of age, at intervals of half an hour's time, till 
the skin becomes moist, and slight nausea is pro- 
duced. Adults should take two teaspoonfuls in the 
same manner. As the disease passes off the patient 
is greatly prostrated, and therefore milk punch, 
beef juice, and the most nutritious and easily di- 



54 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

gested food, should be given, both during and after 
the disease. As a general tonic our Malaria Pill 
will serve a good purpose until the patient has fully 
recovered strength. 

LA GRIPPE — INFLUENZA. 

La Grippe is the French name given to epidemic 
Influenza. It is due to the presence in the atmos- 
phere of a specific germ, and is analogous to similar 
diseases which often prevail among horses, and is 
called an epizootic, which simply means " upon the 
horse," as epidemic means "upon the people." 

The disease begins suddenly with a decided 
chill, or chilliness, alternating with flashes of heat. 
The fever follows the chill at once, and in some 
cases is very severe. There is usually severe pain 
in the back, and muscular pains in the arms and 
legs, with headache in the front part of the head 
and through the eyes. The nose, throat, and eyes, 
are usually hot and red, the voice is husky, and a 
dry, troublesome cough is present. After a few 
days a free, thin, and acrid discharge escapes from 
the nose and throat, and a purulent matter is 
thrown off with each fit of coughing. In some 
cases incessant sneezing is a common symptom at 
first, but this disappears after the discharge begins. 
Extreme prostration always follows an attack of 
la grippe, and pneumonia is liable to set in on the 
slightest exposure to cold. 

Treatment. — At the outset of the disease a hot 



HAY FEVER. 55 

lemonade, with an ounce of good whiskey or 
brandy, will often produce a favorable effect. A 
generous diet and moderate use of milk punch will 
be found of great benefit through the entire disease. 
To control the fever twenty drops of tincture of 
aconite root should be put in a goblet of water, and 
of this a teaspoonful should be taken every hour 
until the fever subsides. To relieve the inflamma- 
tion of the nose and throat, our improved Home 
Inhaler, with inhalation No. 2 accompanying it, 
should be used for two or three minutes at a time, 
once every two or three hours. For violent head- 
ache, which is so prominent in severe cases and 
severe muscular pains our Neurodine Tablet is 
especially serviceable. When taken according to 
directions, it will not only relieve the pain but also 
the congestion and irritation of the nerve centers, 
upon which so much of the distress of this disease 
depends. In all cases of la grippe it is important 
that the atmosphere of the room should be moist. 
For this purpose arrangements should be made by 
which steam escaping from boiling water should be 
provided. 

HAY FEVER, 

Hay fever is a distressing acute, catarrhal con- 
dition affecting the mucous membrane of the nose 
and throat. It is due to a specific disease germ, 
usually developed during summer and fall. Some 
persons are particularly liable to be attacked by it 



56 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

at or about the same time every year. Among the 
other names by which it is known are hay asthma, 
rose cold, June cold, and autumnal catarrh. Like 
all specific diseases, an attack of hay fever is pre- 
ceded by a feeling of lassitude and weariness, loss 
of appetite and coated tongue, although in some 
cases it comes on suddenly. Those who are subject 
to it have no difficulty in recognizing the earliest 
symptoms. These are an itching or burning sensa- 
tion in the eyes, nose, and back part of the throat, 
which is soon followed by the discharge of a clear, 
watery fluid, and by frequent and violent sneezing. 
So severe is the inflammation at times that the eyes 
become red and swollen, and the passages to the nose 
are almost entirely obstructed. The throat is hot, 
dry, and swollen, and the passages to the ears are 
also involved so as frequently to obstruct the hear- 
ing. In the severer forms of the disease the inflam- 
mation extends downward to the air passages of the 
lungs, thus occasioning extreme difficulty of breath- 
ing, resembling asthma, which is accompanied by 
a wheezy or croupy cough. In these cases the pa- 
tient cannot lie down, feels as if he cannot breathe, 
becomes pale and exhausted, and covered with cold 
perspiration. These sometimes will be relieved for 
a short period, but will begin again with increased 
severity. As a rule the general system does not 
suffer materially, except when the patient loses rest 
from the severity of the local symptoms. 

Treatt?ient. — For most people who are liable to 



WHOOPING COUGH. 57 

attacks of hay fever a change of climate is always 
of great advantage, although it is not always easy 
to know what change is the best. One person is 
entirely relieved by a sojourn to the White Mount- 
ains, the Catskills, or Adirondacks, while others 
find a sea voyage the most beneficial. 

In the way of medicines both internal and extern- 
al, about every variety has been used, but few have 
seemed to reach the difficulty so as to allay the dis- 
tressing symptoms. A remedy that will permanent- 
ly relieve one person may have little or no effect 
upon another; so that the aim should always be to 
employ such remedies as will have a tendency to 
destroy this specific hay fever germ, both locally and 
constitutionally. Again we have to recommend 
ozone water to be drank freely, so that the concen- 
trated ozone thus introduced into the system will 
have the effect of destroying the minute organisms 
that give rise to the disease. After many years of 
careful observation, we have found that our In- 
halent No. 2, used in our improved Home Inhaler, 
has the best and speediest effect in relieving the 
disease of anything we can try. This inhalation 
should be used as soon as the first symptoms mani- 
fest themselves, and should be regularly continued 
at short intervals until the inflammatory symptoms 
have entirely disappeared. We have known many 
cases to be cut short and their occurrence prevented 
by this treatment, and in all cases the symptoms 
are greatly modified. 



5^ THE HOME DOCTOR. 

WHOOPING-COUGH. 

Whooping-cough is a disease of childhood, char- 
acterized by forcible spasmodic expiration, and a 
peculiar whoop or cough, attending the inhalation 
of air into the lungs. 

Its general symptoms are two well known to re- 
quire special mention. The disease is contagious, 
and only occurs, as a rule, once in a lifetime. At 
first the symptoms are those of an ordinary cold in 
the head with a slight cold in the throat and a 
feeling of general languor and loss of appetite. 
After a week or two paroxysms of the peculiar 
cough, which consists of short expulsions of air, 
take place. While coughing the face gets red, 
the eyes swollen and bulging, the body bent 
forward, and with each paroxysm the breath is 
almost exhausted. When the disease occurs in the 
summer or early fall, it is mild and lasts but a short 
time, but if it extends into the cold weather the at 
tack is greatly prolonged, and the cough may con- 
tinue the entire winter. 

Treatment. — This is another of the diseases in 
which medicines have not been very satisfactorily 
used. Change of air is usually beneficial, but this 
can seldom be secured. Quiet should be obtained 
at night, if possible, and for this purpose the fol- 
lowing mixture will be found beneficial: Tincture 
of gelsemium, ten drops; tincture of aconite root, 
six drops; tincture of lobelia, twenty drops; water 



mumps. 59 

eight tablespoonfuls. Of this a teaspoonful may be 
given every hour to a child between one and three 
years of age, while those over three years can take 
two teaspoonfuls at same intervals. After six or 
eight doses have been given in succession, it should 
be discontinued for several hours. The sleeping 
rooms should be thoroughly impregnated with 
ozone vapor in order to thoroughly destroy the at- 
mospheric germs. Attention must also be given to 
frequent bathing, with the precaution that the child 
is not afterward exposed to cold. In cases of long 
standing the following mixture should be used: 
iodide of potash, one drachm; syrup, two tablespoon- 
fuls; water, six tablespoonfuls; of which give a 
teaspoonful every three or four hours. This rem- 
edy will reduce the chronic thickening of the mem- 
branes and prevent the accumulating of the tena- 
cious mucus, which so frequently causes the child 
to vomit before it is freed from the throat by the 
paroxysms of coughing. 



Mumps is a specific inflammation of the large 
glands under the ear. known as the parotid glands. 
It also belongs to the class of diseases caused by 
specific air germs. It usually occurs as an epi- 
demic, and is ushered in by a feeling of languor 
and weariness, followed, after two or three days, 
by a chill and slight fever. It is more frequently 
met with in males than in females, and usually at- 



60 THE HOME DOCTORo 

tacks those from five to fifteen years of age. From 
twelve to twenty-four hours after the chill a sharp 
pain is felt behind the jaw and under the ear, which 
extends into the throat and to the ear. A promi- 
nent swelling is soon recognized so as to form a 
marked protuberance in front of and below the ear. 
It is very sensitive to the touch; the jaw becomes 
stiff, and sometimes the swelling and pain extends 
to the glands under the arm and even to the arm 
itself. It reaches its hight in from three to five 
days, then remains stationary for a day or two, and 
then rapidly diminishes, so that it has entirely dis- 
appeared from the neck by the twelfth day. Some- 
times only one side is affected, while again the in- 
flammation will occur on both sides simultaneously, 
or will begin on one side and only attack the other 
when the swelling of the first begins to disappear. 
The swelling will sometimes suddenly leave the 
glands of the neck and attack the glands of some 
remote part of the body, as the breasts or testicles. 
The inflammation in the new seat of the disease 
will be severe for a time, when it will suddenly dis- 
appear from there, and again show itself in the neck. 
Treat?netit. — The patient should be kept within 
doors and free from all exposure to cold or 
draughts. To remove the pain, warm applications 
applied to the seat of the swelling is best. When 
the pain is unbearable one of our Neurodine Tablets 
may be given at bedtime and repeated in a couple 
of hours, if necessary, to quiet the patient. A 



TYPHOID FEVER. 6l 

Seidlitz's Powder given in the morning to relieve 
the bowels, and occasionally a sponge bath with 
tepid water will also be found beneficial. A hot 
lemonade on going to bed will promote perspiration, 
and in that way give relief. No other treatment is 
necessary as the disease is of short duration and is 
rarely attended by any serious complications. 

TYPHOID FEVER. 

Typhoid fever is a name given to an acute feb- 
rile disease which is characterized by an inflamma- 
tion and ulceration of some of the glands of the in- 
testines, and in most instances has a peculiar erup- 
tion on the abdomen. It is generally considered to 
be due to some peculiar poison, the exact nature of 
which has not yet been ascertained. The poison is 
supposed to emanate from animal decomposition, 
but certain conditions are necessary to produce the 
typhoid germ. It should always be borne in mind 
that the discharges from typhoid patients should 
not be thrown into cesspools, but should be 
thoroughly disinfected and removed to some dis- 
tance. The disease is unquestionably contagious 
in a feeble degree, but is most liable to be produced 
by the development of germs from the continued 
fermentation of the discharges of the patient than 
from contact with the person. Sometimes an or- 
dinary case of malarial fever will run along for a 
few weeks and then develop into the peculiar symp- 
toms of typhoid fever. 



62 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

For a week or ten days prior to the setting in of 
the disease the patient feels depressed, and tires 
easily over the slightest exertion. Headache, poor 
appetite, a slight diarrhea, and even bleeding from 
the nose, are sometimes noticed. The patient with 
difficulty applies himself to any mental work, and 
sleep is disturbed and unrefreshing. Then for 
several days a feeling of chilliness will occur at 
different times, and finally the fever begins. In 
some cases the disease sets in with a disgust for 
food, extreme nausea, and even vomiting and 
diarrhea. The fever usually runs high, the patient 
is generally prostrated both physically and mentally, 
and this condition continues through the disease, 
which is apt to run its course in about three weeks. 
From the seventh to the tenth day there is marked 
disturbance of mind which is characterized by deli- 
rium, picking at the bedclothes and at imaginary 
objects in the air, and trembling of the muscles. 
An eruption of isolated spots, about as big as a pin- 
head, begins to show itself over the abdomen about 
the same time. This eruption may be very profuse, 
sparsely scattered over the body, or entirely absent, 
The abdomen is distended enormously with gases, 
yields a hollow sound when tapped with the finger, 
and is usually extremely hot. This is due to the 
fact that the principal seat of the disease is in the 
lining membrane of the bowels, and when cases 
terminate fatally it is from a perforation of the. 
bowels at the seat of the disease, 



TYPHOID FEVER. 03 

Treatment. — It is important to keep up the 
strength of the patient in typhoid fever. With this 
object in view, milk and lime water, milk punches, 
beef juice, and alcoholic stimulants have to be re- 
sorted to and continued throughout the disease. 
The fever is best controlled by the following: Tinc- 
ture of gelsemium, one drachm; tincture of verat- 
rum veride, thirty drops; water, eight tablespoon- 
fuls. Mix in a goblet and give one teaspoonful 
every hour until the skin becomes slightly moist 
or the patient feels more comfortable. Frequent 
sponge baths are essential to keep the skin active, 
and are very grateful to the patient. A tablespoon- 
ful of sweet olive oil with ten drops of oil of tur- 
pentine may be given three times a day with ad- 
vantage. Warm fermentation of hops should be 
continually applied over the abdomen for the pur- 
pose of allaying the local inflammation and pre- 
venting the ulceration of the bowels. During the 
continuance of the disease our Malaria Pill should 
be given at least three times a day, and after the 
fever is broken up nothing will so speedily restore 
the patient's prostrated nervous system as our 
Nerve Tonic Pills. This last mentioned pill, with 
the most nutritious diet, milk, eggs, and brandy, 
should be judiciously and frequently administered, 
during convalescence, so as to build up the nervous 
system speedily. 



64 



CHAPTER IV. 

Diseases from Defective Nutrition 

Rheumatism — Gout — Diabetes — Rickets — Scrof- 
ula. 

Defective nutrition gives rise to a number of 
diseases that differ widely in their character, symp- 
toms, and general effects on the system. Some of 
these diseases may be due primarily to defective 
digestion, others to imperfect assimilation or dis- 
tribution of the foods already digested, while others 
may result simply from the lack of certain elements 
in the food that are necessary to supply the waste 
of special tissues. Under this heading are usually 
included rheumatism, gout, diabetes, rickets, and 
scrofula. 

rheumatism. 

Rheumatism is a constitutional disease of an in- 
flammatory character, which is due to the presence 
of an acid, known as lithic acid, in the blood. It 
attacks the joints, ligaments, or muscles, and re- 
ceives various names according to the character of 
the disease and the parts affected. When the joints 



RHEUMATISM. 65 

become the seat of the disease, it is spoken of as 
articular, and when the muscles are similarly 
attacked it is called muscular rheumatism. It is 
also divided into acute and chronic rheumatism. 
This latter division is the most common, and the 
term acute is applied to any form of the disease, 
which comes on quickly, with intense pain and 
high fever. When the disease is of long standing, 
and the pains, which are less severe, come on at 
intervals and extend over considerable time, it is 
said to be chronic. 

The excess of lithic acid in the blood, which is 
the predisposing cause of rheumatism, is invariably 
due to imperfect digestion; and it may be safely 
set down as a rule that where the stomach, liver, 
and bowels are in a healthy condition the disease is 
impossible. Among the exciting causes of the dis- 
ease maybe mentioned exposure to cold, getting the 
clothing and feet wet, and the sudden checking of 
perspiration; but these causes will not alone pro- 
duce rheumatism, unless the person is predisposed 
to it by the presence of acid in the system. 

The usual symptoms of indigestion, with coated 
tongue, constipated bowels, and impaired appetite, 
invariably precede an attack of rheumatism. Then 
a tired feeling, with soreness of the muscles, dart- 
ing or shooting pains in various parts of the body, 
and a general stiffness of the joints may be felt for 
some days. These symptoms are followed by a chill 
and the development of fever, Now the affected 



66 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

parts become hot, swollen, red, and very painful to 
the slightest motion or pressure. There is severe 
headache, which, together with the pains in the 
joints and muscles, render sleep impossible. The 
inflammation may begin in one joint or set of mus- 
cles, and after a day or two pass to other joints or 
muscles, when the local symptoms from the part 
first affected are considerably relieved. Thus 
in a week or ten days all the joints or muscles 
may be successively attacked, and the parts first 
affected may again become the seat of the dis- 
ease and the pain be more severe than at first. In 
some cases the disease may attack the heart, which 
produces intense pain, and may often result fatally 
in a short time. The skin is hot and dry, the urine 
scanty and high-colored, and when perspiration 
does occur it is strongly acid, as is also the urine. 
These are the symptoms that generally manifest 
themselves in what is called acute or inflammatory 
rheumatism, or rheumatic fever, as it is sometimes 
called. 

Chronic rheumatism is in most respects entirely 
different from the acute form of the disease. It 
usually manifests itself in the joints and is limited 
to those that are first attacked. Redness and swell- 
ing are less pronounced, and the pain, which is not 
so violent in character, is increased by motion, while 
any febrile symptoms that may occur are developed 
during damp weather. A creaking noise is heard 
in the joints on motion, which is due to the forma- 



RHEUMATISM. 67 

tion of deposits of a limy character around the ar- 
ticular surfaces. When muscular pains are present 
they are due to an inflammation that extends to the 
sheaths of the tendons of the muscles that are near 
the diseased joints; but chronic rheumatism rarely 
attacks the muscles alone. 

Lumbago is a name popularly given to rheuma- 
tism when it is confined to the muscles of the back. 
Intercostal rheumatism is that form that attacks the 
small muscles situated between the ribs and 
brought into action during respiration. 

Treatment. — The first consideration in the treat- 
ment of rheumatism should be to regulate the diet. 
In most cases it would be best to abstain from eat- 
ing entirely, even for three or four days. This can 
be done much more easily than is usually supposed, 
when a person is suffering from an acute attack of 
rheumatism. The advantage of this course is that 
with the absence of food no excess of lithic acid is 
produced, and that already in the system is soon 
eliminated. When fasting is impracticable, meat 
diet should be avoided and the patient should be 
confined to fish, oysters, vegetables, and fruit; but, 
as before stated, the diet should be as light as pos- 
sible. 

Our Home Liver Pill should be given at the be- 
ginning of the disease, with a view of overcoming 
the torpid condition of the liver and bowels, and 
this should be followed by our Rheumatic Pill, 
which should be taken after each meal, and in 



68 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

severe cases two pills are required at a dose. When 
the inflammatory symptoms are very severe the 
fever may be greatly allayed by the administration 
of fifteen grains of the salicylate of soda, dissolved 
in water, every three hours. This will promote 
perspiration, aid in relieving the intense pain, and 
diminish the fever. The affected joints must be 
kept as quiet as possible, and warm fomentations 
of hops applied to them will often afford great 
relief to the sufferer. When the severity of the 
symptoms has subsided our Rheumatic Pill will be 
found the best remedy to eliminate the acid from 
the system and prevent a recurrence of the disease. 
In chronic rheumatism the only treatment necessary 
is to keep the liver and bowels in a healthy condition 
by the use of our Home Liver Pill and to continue 
our Rheumatic Pill as long as any soreness of the 
joints or muscles is felt. 

In all cases where the joints are enlarged and 
the muscles remain sore after the disease has sub- 
sided, Turkish baths will be found of great benefit; 
but care must be taken to have the body properly 
cooled before leaving the bath or otherwise addition- 
al cold maybe taken. The use of the galvanic cur- 
rent of electricity will also be found beneficial in 
promoting the absorption of deposits in and about 
the joints. 

Stimulants of all kinds must be avoided during 
an attack of rheumatism, and persons predisposed 
to the disease should under all circumstances avoid 



GOUT. 69 

wine and malt liquors. If stimulants are used at 
all the stronger alcoholic beverages are the most 
advantageous. 

GOUT. 

Gout is another of the constitutional diseases 
that depends upon the presence of an excess of lithic 
acid in the blood for its development. It is closely- 
analogous to rheumatism and in fact might proper- 
ly be said to be simply a variety of that disease. 
High living and the consequent derangements of 
digestion are the more common causes of the dis- 
ease, although in some cases we have pronounced 
attacks of the gout in persons who live on very light 
diet; but in these cases some form of indigestion 
will always be found to have preceded the attack. 
It is claimed by many that gout is a characteristically 
inherited disease, but careful observation will 
demonstrate to the satisfaction of any observer that 
it is due more to the improper habits of the person 
than to any hereditary transmission. It usually at- 
tacks the smaller joints, as the joints of the toes, 
especially the great toe, and also the joints of the 
hands. The feet are the most common seat of the 
disease, and it attacks men in middle life more fre- 
quently than any other class of persons. 

Acute attacks of gout resemble those of rheuma- 
tism with the exception that they are invariably con- 
fined to the place where they first began. After the 
joints of the feet have been affected the disease may 



THE HOME DOCTOR. 

extend to the knee and even to the hip. When the 
disease is once developed the attacks occur frequent- 
ly, though less severe, while each attack is liable to 
last longer than its predecessor. 

In the chronic form of the disease the joints re- 
main permanently enlarged as a result of the limy 
deposits that take place. Marked deformities of the 
joints are thus produced. 

Treatment. — Here, too, special attention must be 
given to the diet. Stimulants must be avoided and 
an entire abstinence from food insisted upon for a 
few days. When this is objected to, one or two se- 
vere paroxysms of gout will invariably induce the 
patient to try any means that is likely to effect a cure. 
Meats of all kinds should be withheld, and the food 
should be purely vegetable. The torpid liver and 
constipation must be relieved by Home Liver Pills 
taken every night, and where there is much acidity 
of the stomach about twenty grains of bi-carbonate 
of soda should be taken an hour before the liver 
pill. The continued use of our Rheumatic Pill will 
promptly relieve the worst attacks of gout when 
attention is given to the condition of the bowels and 
diet. The affected parts should be kept perfectly 
quiet and on a level with the body. This position 
prevents the settling of blood in the inflamed pari 
and thus diminishes the severity of the pain. Hoi 
applications and the Turkish bath are also valuable. 
auxiliaries in the treatment of the chronic form of 
gout. 



DIABETES. 71 

DIABETES. 

Diabetes is a disease of defective nutrition, which 
is not easily recognized at first, as it is not attended 
by any pronounced symptoms by which the patient's 
attention is directed to the real nature of the trouble. 
It is characterized by a gradual but continued loss 
of flesh, a feeling of weariness, great thirst, the ex- 
cessive quantity of urine passed, and finally by the 
presence of sugar in the urine. 

It is impossible to state any special cause for thL 
disease, nor can we say what part of the body is 
most affected by it. The stomach is always the 
starting point, and the first symptoms are those of 
indigestion. The liver is also torpid and enlarged, 
and after a time becomes fatty. The heart also takes 
on a condition of fatty degeneration, and the kidneys 
are somewhat enlarged and congested, though not 
as much changed as other organs. 

When a general loss of flesh is noticed, with ex- 
cessive urinary secretions, the urine should be ex- 
amined by a competent physician, and strict atten- 
tion given to whatever treatment is determined on. 

Treatment. — Strict attention must be given to the 
diet, and any impairment in digestion must be cor- 
rected. The torpid condition of the liver and 
bowels must be overcome by the continued use of 
our Home Liver Pills, and our Dyspepsia Pills must 
be taken as directed after each meal. 

The diet must be free from all foods containing 



72 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

starch or sugar. This necessitates the exclusion of 
white flour bread, potatoes, corn, rice, beets, pastry, 
puddings, and everything containing sugar. Skim- 
med milk and buttermilk are both 'good articles of 
diet, but other fluids should be avoided as much as 
possible. Gluten bread can be used instead of or- 
dinary bread, and meats, fish, and eggs may be 
freely used. 

The custom of using mineral waters and medi- 
cines that act on the kidneys cannot be too severely 
condemned ; such remedies do harm instead of good. 
Fluid extract of ergot, given in thirty drop doses, 
in a tablespoonful of water, three or four times a 
day, is one of the best remedies that can be given 
to decrease the flow of urine and allay the thirst. 
Our Nerve Tonic Pill should be used when the pa- 
tient feels weak and prostrated, as it will give de- 
cided tone to the nervous system, and thus restore, 
the general strength of the patient. 

It is necessary that the mind should be free from 
business cares, and that the physical strength should 
not be exhausted by work. Moderate exercise and 
fresh air are essential, however, but these must be 
had without causing weariness, which comes on 
readily after slight effort. 

RICKETS. 

The term rickets is applied to that form of defect- 
ive nutrition in which the bones of the child remain 
soft and flexible at a time when they should be firm 



RICKETS. 73 

and unyielding. It is characteristically a disease of 
childhood, and is due to some defect of nutrition by 
which the earthy material is supplied in insufficient 
quantities with the food, or the organs of nutrition 
are so deranged as to prevent these materials from 
being carried in the circulation to supply the bony 
structure. In such cases the flesh of the child will 
waste away, and the digestion is so disturbed that 
vomiting and diarrhea are frequently present. 
When the child begins to walk the weight of the 
body causes bending of the long bones and marked 
deformities of the joints. As a result we have 
curvature of the spine, bow legs, knock knees, and 
a variety of similar disorders. 

Treatment. — Everything that is calculated to 
nourish the child and improve its general condition 
must be resorted to. Rich animal broth must be 
given to young children, and pure cow's milk, 
properly prepared, must be substituted for the 
mother's milk. Fresh air, bathing, and a sufficient 
supply of warm clothing are also indispensable. 
Scott's Emulsion of Cod Liver Oil with the hypophos- 
phites of lime and soda should be given in tablespoonful 
doses three or four times a day. This remedy, be- 
ing composed of some of the materials that form 
bony tissue, is supposed to supply these materials 
in quantities sufficient to produce a hardening of the 
bony structures. 

A surgeon should be consulted in all cases of de- 
formity. 



74 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

SCROFULA. 

Scrofula is usually considered a constitutional 
blood disease transmitted from parent to offspring, 
and is supposed to be one of the constitutional 
transmitted taints resulting from syphilis. Many 
physicians apply the name to a great variety of dis- 
orders, and it is a convenient term to use when they 
do not know what the real nature of the trouble is. 
The time was when all diseases of the bones, glands, 
and skin were considered to be scrofulous in char- 
acter, but more recent investigation has demon- 
strated that all these disorders are due to direct 
predisposing and exciting causes. 

The condition that is generally recognized as 
scrofula is one where there is an enlargement of the 
glands of the neck and other portions of the body 
which may extend to suppuration and the discharge 
of matter. This condition is invariably due to some 
cause of defective nutrition where the effete ma- 
terial of the system is not properly thrown off, and 
is thus accumulated in the glands whose special 
office it is to remove the waste material. After the 
accumulation has continued so long as to enlarge 
these glands, nature makes an effort to throw off 
this waste material, and as a result we have inflam- 
mation and breaking down of the glands and the 
formation of matter, which is discharged, and thus 
the system is freed from an unhealthy condition; 
and the process by which this is done is spoken of as 



SCROFULA. 75 

scrofula. Persons suffering from this peculiar con- 
dition usually have a sallow or white condition of 
skin, flabby muscles, and a general appearance of 
feebleness and lack of vital power. Any wound or 
bruise heals with difficulty, and glandular enlarge- 
ments are developed upon the slightest exposure to 
cold. 

Treatment. — Nutritious food which should include 
plenty of rare beef and mutton, must always be 
given to this class of patients; moderate but regular 
exercise should be employed, and frequent bathing 
is essential to keep up the action of the skin. Ten 
drops of dyalized iron given in a teaspoonful of 
water three or four times a day will also be found to 
serve an admirable purpose. 

With a view of promoting the action of the lym- 
phatic glands and thus enabling them to throw off 
the effete material that has accumulated in the sys- 
tem, our Alterative Pill should be given as directed 
and continued until a decided improvement is 
manifest in the patient. As these conditions more 
often occur before the age of fourteen or fifteen 
it is important to watch the health of the chiid 
until after that period, when a complete change us- 
ually takes place and the symptoms of the so-called 
scrofula then often disappear. Similar disorders 
occur later in life, and although attributed to scrof- 
ula are often due to other causes and require such 
treatment as may be found valuable for the re- 
moval of the exciting causes in each individual case. 



76 



CHAPTER V. 

Specific Blood Diseases. 

Syphilis — Hydrophobia — Glanders, 

Under the head of Specific Blood Diseases are 
included such as are produced by local inoculation 
of some specific poison, which enters the system, 
and after variable periods of time, ranging from 
two weeks to three months, develops constitutional 
symptoms that are characteristic of the special 
pioson introduced. Syphilis, hydrophobia, and 
glanders, are the principal diseases of this class. 



Syphilis is a constitutional blood disease which 
originates from impure coitus. It first appears as a 
local sore on the genitals, and is called a chancre. 
The poison from this sore is soon absorbed into 
the system and poisons the blood, thus giving rise 
to a variety of eruptions on the skin and mucous 
surfaces, which are spoken of as secondary or con- 
stitutional syphilis. 



HYDROPHOBIA. 77 

A full description of the symptoms and compli- 
cations of this disease cannot be given in a popular 
work of this character, but those desirous of under- 
standing the nature and treatment of this disease 
should send for " The Health of Men," a book de- 
voted to the physiological functions and the dis- 
eases of the male organs.* 

Persons suffering from this disease should give 
it immediate attention on the first appearance of 
the local sore, with a view to preventing it from en- 
tering the blood and thus becoming constitutional. 
If a physician cannot be consulted, our Alterative 
Pill should be taken at once and continued regular- 
ly for two or three months, as in this way only can 
a person be safe against serious secondary disorders 
that develop after syphilis becomes constitutional. 
Full directions for local treatment and the treat- 
ment of the various secondary conditions will be 
found in the work referred to in the foot note. 

HYDROPHOBIA. 

Hydrophobia is the name given a disease de- 
veloped in man by the inoculation of poisonous 
saliva introduced by the bite of a rabid dog. The 
disease is not as common as is usually supposed, 
for many of the conditions believed to be rabies in 
the dog are entirely different in character, and the 



* This volume is written by a well-known Physician and 
Surgeon, and published by the Home Treatment Company, 
New York. Price, $1.00. 



78 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

fear of having the disease often produces a chain of 
nervous symptoms that closely resemble those of 
genuine hydrophobia. The word "hydrophobia" 
means " fear of water," and was first given to the 
disease because it was supposed that persons afflict- 
ed by it, as well as rabid dogs, had a dread of water. 
Recent observations, however, have shown this to 
be incorrect, but it is true that persons thus affected 
find themselves unable to swallow fluids, and con- 
sequently will refuse to take them. 

The wound made by the bite of a rabid dog usu- 
ally heals kindly, but after six or seven weeks, or 
sometimes longer, a feeling of uneasiness, loss of 
appetite, flashes of heat with alternating chills, sore 
throat, nausea and vomiting, headache and general 
nervous excitement, begin to show themselves. 
The scar becomes red and painful, and a feeling of 
itching and irritation is felt extending from it along 
the course of the nerves. These symptoms may 
last for a few hours or for eight or ten days, after 
which there is a stiffness of the muscles of the jaw 
and throat. It becomes difficult or impossible to 
swallow and every attempt to do so produces severe 
paroxysms of pain. Usually the spasms affect the 
muscles of the wind pipe, causing a hurried respira- 
tion, while the hurried expulsion of the air causes 
a sound somewhat resembling the bark of a dog. 
The mouth becomes dry, and the saliva is so thick- 
ened that all efforts to remove it by hawking increase 
the barking noise. After a time the nervous system. 



HYDROPHOBIA. 79 

becomes exhausted, there is a loss of memory and 
delirium, and a general condition of paralysis de- 
velops. The pupils are large, the mouth is open, 
and the saliva runs from the mouth or passes into 
the back part of the throat, causing a gurgling and 
choking noise, and death takes place from exhaus- 
tion or suffocation. These are the symptoms that 
are present in a true case of hydrophobia, but they 
are fortunately very rare. 

In some cases, where a person has been bitten by 
a dog, the scar remains unchanged, and similar 
symptoms to those aboYe given occur even a week 
or two after the bite, or may not appear for six 
months or more. All such cases may be set down 
as caused by fear, and in no way connected with the 
presence of rabies. 

Treatment. — So far as is now known, the only 
treatment to be adopted is the preventive one. As 
soon as a person has been bitten by a dog supposed 
to be rabid, the wound should be applied immedi- 
ately to the mouth and sucked freely until a physi- 
cian can be reached, who will apply some caustic so 
thoroughly as to penetrate the deepest part of the 
wound. The galvanic cautery is also used for de- 
stroying and removing the tissue immediately 
around the wound. These methods prevent the 
poison from getting into the system, and then all 
possibility of hydrophobia developing is averted. 

The inoculations practiced by Pasteur of Paris 
have proved a lamentable, failure, and no reliance 



80 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

should be placed in them. More careful study of 
the nature of rabies in the dog will be a great pre- 
ventive of the development of the nervous condition 
resembling the symptoms of hydrophobia. Such 
symptoms may extend to such a degree as to pro- 
duce sufficient disturbance of the base of the brain 
and nervous system generally to cause death even 
when no hydrophobia is present. 

GLANDERS. 

Glanders is a disease affecting the glands of the 
mouth and the mucous membrane of the nose in 
horses, and is often communicated to man, and 
then from one individual to another. A person 
who has been attending to a horse suffering from 
glanders and soon after complains of a general lan- 
guor, with pain in the back, arms, and legs, which 
are soon followed by chills, with flashes of heat, 
stiffness and soreness of the joints, impaired appe- 
tite, irritable stomach, constipated bowels, and 
sleeplessness, certainly has reason to suspect that 
he has contracted the disease. After these symp- 
toms have developed they continue from thirty-six 
to forty-eight hours, when a severe chill occurs, 
which is immediately followed by violent fever and 
profuse perspiration, resembling an attack of ague 
and fever. The pulse is irregular and quick, the 
tongue parched and covered with a brown coating, 
the lining membrane of the nose is much inflamed, 
and a free, fetid discharge is developed. Great 



GLANDERS. 8 1 

prostration occurs, and an offensive odor similar to 
that coming from a glandered horse is apparent 
about the patient The disease, if not recognized 
early, is apt to prove fatal in periods ranging from 
one to three weeks. 

Treatment. — Preventive measures are of the first 
importance. Persons caring for horses suffering 
from this disease should be careful not to expose 
cuts or sores to contact with the saliva of the animal, 
and care should be taken not to allow the animal to 
breathe in the face. As soon as the diseased animal 
is attended to, the hands should be thoroughly 
cleansed, and the attendant snould use a solution of 
carbolic acid to snuff up the nostrils and gargle the 
throat. For this purpose put twenty drops of car- 
bolic acid into a gobletful of tepid water; stir it up 
and use freely to snuff into the nose and as a gargle. 
Should the first symptoms be recognized, ten-grain 
doses of quinine should be taken every three or four 
hours until sixty grains are used, and about two 
tablespoonfuls of good whisky at about the same 
intervals will also prove valuable. Nutritious diet, 
good ventilation, and absolute quiet are necessary 
to ward off the disease. When it is once fully de- 
veloped, however, there is very little hope of saving 
the patient. 



82 



CHAPTER VI. 

Disease of Lungs and Air Passages 

Consumption — Acute Bronxhitis-Chronic Bron- 
chitis — Asthma — Acute Nasal Catarrh — 
Ulceration of the Nose — Sore Throat — 
Quinsy — Croup — Loss of Voice — Inflamma- 
tion of Larynx — Chronic Catarrh — Pneu- 
monia — Plurisy. 

Under the head of Disease of the Lungs and Air- 
passages are included a large number of acute in- 
flammatory diseases that require the closest attention 
of the family physician in their treatment. In such 
cases it would be useless to give any general outlines 
of the treatment that might be used at home, as va- 
rious complications are constantly arising that must 
be specially treated as they present themselves, and 
such conditions can only be recognized by a person 
who has had experience in the management of such 
diseases. Among the diseases of this character are 
included pleurisy, dropsy of the chest, pneumonia, 
and acute bronchitis. The chronic diseases of the 
]ungs and air passages may be more satisfactorily 



CONSUMPTION. B3 

managed by home treatment, and we will, therefore, 
confine our attention to those, the most important 
of which are consumption, chronic bronchitis, asth- 
ma, croup, and catarrh. 

CONSUMPTION. 

Consumption is a popular name given to disease 
of the lung tissues which is characterized by a filling 
up of the substance of the lung by the deposit of 
effete material and the breaking down of the lung 
tissues. The deposits vary in character in different 
persons, and are professionally recognized as differ- 
ent forms of consumption. For popular consider- 
ation, however, it is unnecessary to create confusion 
in the mind of the reader by, describing the peculiar 
character of the deposit which is present in the sev- 
eral forms of the disease. 

This disease is generally considered to be inherit- 
ed, but a close study of the history of consumption 
and the history of families will often reveal the fact 
that persons of the same family who have continued 
to live in the same locality, eat the same food, and 
be surrounded by the same general influences, have 
all suffered from the disease, but where members of 
that family have removed to different parts of the 
country and completely changed their environments 
they have been known to escape entirely. In fact ^ 
this is true to so great an extent that it may be safe- 
ly laid down as a rule that when consumption shows 
itself in the different members of the same family 



84 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

it is best under all circumstances that a change of 
residence should be sought at once, and in making 
such change attention should be given to the atmos- 
pheric conditions that are most favorable for per- 
sons predisposed to consumption. It is also well 
known that many persons, after having been exposed 
to repeated colds, even though no history of an he- 
reditary transmission of the disease can be obtain- 
ed, fall victims to it, and die in a few weeks. Such 
cases are often popularly called <; quick consump- 
tion." 

The first symptoms of the disease may be those 
of an ordinary cold, such as a slight cough, dry ex- 
pectoration, loss of appetite, indigestion, and finally 
a loss of flesh and strength. In some cases there 
may be a general falling away of the patient with- 
out any appearance of cough. Persons thus affect- 
ed, who are tall, thin, and narrow chested, should 
take warning at once, and either by treatment or 
change of climate try to avert the approaching dis- 
ease. When a cough is present it is dry and sharp, 
more troublesome at night than during the day, 
and is attended with pains in the chest, shortness 
of breath, slight tendency to fever toward the latter 
part of the afternoon, and night sweats. In the 
first stage of the disease a free bleeding from the 
lungs will frequently take place. Instead of this 
occasioning alarm however, it should have the oppo- 
site effect, as it is an effort of nature to throw off 
what would otherwise become a tubercular deposit 



CONSUMPTION. 85 

on the lungs. After such a bleeding the previous 
premonitory symptoms may be materially relieved 
for a considerable length of time. After the cough 
has continued for some time there is more or less 
expectoration, which soon assumes the character of 
purulent matter, and as the disease advances it will 
be found to sink in water. Great prostration of the 
system is now apparent and the appetite is entirely 
gone; the fever becomes more pronounced and the 
night sweats more prolonged, so as to often con- 
tinue during the night. As the disease advances 
the cough becomes so troublesome and painful that 
sleep is almost impossible, and the expectoration 
changes until it assumes a greenish-yellow color, 
which is significant of the breaking down of the 
lung tissue. The voice and cough become hollow, 
there is a hectic flush on the cheeks, and the gene- 
ral prostration is so great that the patient can 
hardly stand. 

Further description of this distressing disease is 
unnecessary, as the symptoms are so pronounced 
that no one can be mistaken as to the character of 
the disease. 

Treatment. — The treatment of consumption is 
more especially applicable to the early stages. Every 
effort should be made to fill the lungs by inhaling as 
much air without stopping as possible. In this way 
more oxygen is taken into the lungs and the oxy- 
gen removes the effete material that would other- 
wise be deposited in the tissue. A change of cli- 



56 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

mate is always desirable in the early stages of con- 
sumption, and it should be borne in mind that if a 
change is delayed until the lungs are seriously in- 
volved, the patient is better off to remain at home. 
In the earlier stages of the disease the climate of 
Colorado, Northern California, or Minnesota, is best 
in consequence of the rare condition of the atmos- 
phere and the excessive oxygen, but when the 
ease is once developed and the cough is aggravated 
by a cold dry atmosphere Southern California, 
Georgia, and Florida, are preferable locations for 
consumptives. 

If it were possible for a person to live in an at- 
mosphere containing an extra amount of oxygen, 
the disease might be prevented entirely, or very ma- 
terially delayed in its progress; but as this is impos- 
sible we are obliged to resort to such remedies as will 
keep up the nutrition of the body by supplying new 
material in excess of the waste. For this purpose Scott's 
Emulsion will be found to serve the best purpose. It 
is a preparation of Cod-liver Oil with the hypophos- 
phites of lime and soda, and is palatable to the taste, 
and supplies the system with the elements necessary to 
build up lung tissue and maintain the strength of the 
patient. When taken according to directions it improves 
the appetite, relieves the cough, diminishes the expecto- 
ration and stops the night sweats so common in this 
disease. 

In the way of diet, milk, cream, nutritious 



RONCHITIS. 






fat, and gcx 




\ . s k ' ' art 


:he t::^.::t 




e :i::e:: 


- i :t use: .5 




ine, which 


a :::z: :'ae :/ 


' . r. s c 


niana^na 


:a:a;as a'.'. :z 




-•-•-•- ^ ^. 



~ea:s ~::h ; ez-.y 
e s s e z. : : a . :: kttz.z^ _: 
r-e zes: a::~: ztz: :h = : :i 
is simply beef blood, diawi 
hermetically sealed. It co 
zaez.:s ::' :'zt sjs:tzz ia a :::zz :aa: ; = - be easily assim- 
ilated by the most de.i cafe s : : n :. a : fa . 

ha view : : allaying the i I r if a I : a of the 
: h r : a : l:: z r : z. : z i a'. : u : e s re s u". : : - ^ : r : zz : : _ a z 
: a : I zz ; r : t e a I z, z. a le : : a z ': e u. s e a -•-■- : : a I z z a ::: 
N'c. : sevtra! :~es a :a 7a. s :a ::a: t resu'.: 
however, can only "z e expected where the case is 
aaker. :z : rr.e ar. : :ae ::tz\z.tz: :':'.. :^e a an::'. ::: 
_:::v;;^;.: s v zz z : : zz s z.sazzear 



A:a:e 5 r : z. : a : : : s : s a : e : e z : _:; a : : i v e : z r_ a zz - 
zza.:z ::':'ae aaa::_s n\rzz'::azr :: ::: :r:a:h:a'. 
tubes. It is produced by exposure :: :: Id and snd- 
i e z ::.^':t5 :: : e zz z t r a : a r e I : .5 zz : re : : zz zn : ~ 
luring :he aazzz ihaz-geaz.e ~ ea:'ae: :: :he szr.z.a 
aa: :a ar a :a:se 5t sjs'.ezzs are aez:l::a:ez 

from any cause are more liable to it th a z. those ::' 
strong, robust constitntions. It is also caused by 
:ae :z.z.a'.a:::z. ::' zar:.:.es ::' aus: :'r:zz :ae a:zz :s- 
phere, or irritating gasses or vapors. The modern 
theory is that this disease is always caused by a 
s z e : : a : : a : :'. a_ s : r : : s e a s e ztzzz 

The condition popularly called a M cold in the 
chest," is a mild form of acute bronchitis. 



00 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

The symptoms of this disease are a dry, harsh 
cough, a sense of rawness of the throat and bron- 
chial tubes, followed by languor, chills, and flashes 
of heat. The throat becomes constricted, pain is 
felt when a long breath is taken, there is marked 
hoarseness, and glarry mucus is brought up by the 
cough. After a few days the expectoration increases 
and is easily raised, and becomes yellowish in color, 
and purulent in character. When free expectoration 
is established the pain and soreness decrease, and 
the fever disappears. A mild case lasts from ten to 
twenty days, but in severe cases the symptoms are 
more aggravated, and may last for several weeks. 

Treatment. — At the beginning of the disease a 
hot lemonade or whisky sling may be given to 
cause free perspiration. To allay the fever ten 
drops of tincture of aconite root may be put in 
eight tabiespoonfuls of water, and of this a tea- 
spoonful should be taken every half hour until the 
fever subsides. 

Our Inhalent No. i can then be used in our Im- 
proved Inhaler. 

CHRONIC BRONCHITIS. 

By Chronic Bronchitis is meant a chronic inflam- 
mation of the larger air tubes that ramify through 
the lungs, which are called bronchial tubes. This 
disease may be dependent upon some disorder o) 
the heart or lungs, and is often associated with 
Bright's disease, and is also one of the prominent 



CHRONIC BRONCHITIS. So. 

symptoms of infectious diseases. Sometimes it is 
the result of a frequent recurrence of colds affecting 
the bronchial tubes, which finally become chronic- 
ally inflamed, and the inflammation may even ex- 
tend to ulceration. 

Among the more prominent symptoms are fre- 
quent paroxysms of coughing, the sticky character 
of the expectoration, difficulty of breathing, with 
more or less wheezing during respiration. In se- 
vere cases many of the symptoms may resemble 
consumption, but there is not the extreme emacia- 
tion, nor the purulent and heavy character of the 
expectoration. Bleeding from the bronchial tubes 
may sometimes take place, but when it does the 
blood is dark and not likely to form clots, while in 
consumption the blood is of a bright scarlet 
color. 

Treatment. — The treatment of chronic bronchitis 
will depend very much upon the severity of the 
disease and the constitution of the patient. As 
there is often extreme thickness of the lining mem- 
brane of the tubes, some alterative medicine will 
be required in most cases. Our Home Alterative 
Pill will be found of great benefit, and our Improved 
Inhaler, with Inhalent No. i, will be found to give 
decided relief, and in many cases to effect a radical 
cure. The free use of Scott's Emulsion is desir- 
able. It must always be borne in mind, however, 
that the summer season is the best time of the year 
for the treatment of all bronchial troubles. In the 



90 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

severer forms of the disease the inflammation ex- 
tends to ulceration of the mucous surfaces. When 
this condition develops the expectoration has the 
characteristics of ordinary pus, and there is gene- 
rally more or less constitutional fever and general 
prostration. Rich cream, whisky, and a generally 
nutritious diet, must be resorted to in all such 
cases. 

ASTHMA. 

The term Asthma is applied to a spasmodic dif- 
ficulty of breathing, which usually comes on sud- 
denly, and after continuing for a variable length of 
time will disappear, leaving the patient, to all ap- 
pearances, free from any diseased condition of the 
organs of breathing. The true nature of the dis- 
ease is not well understood, but is claimed by many 
to be of a nervous character, and to be developed 
from sudden irritation extending to the nerves that 
supply the mucous surface of the air passages and 
control the muscles of breathing. When an attack 
takes place it is apt to come on again without much 
warning, and many people suffer for years, espe- 
cially in certain localities, without being able to get 
a moment's relief. 

The first attack of asthma begins with an ordina- 
ry cold in the head, with slight bronchial irritation, 
headache, and a feeling of general depression. It 
is likely to occur any hour in the twenty-four, but 
usually takes place at night. The most important 



ASTHMA. 91 

symptom of an asthmatic attack is the distress that 
follows every attempt to inhale air into the lungs, 
and it will sometimes seem that the more effort a 
person makes to breathe the more difficult it is to do 
so. With every breath that passes the windpipe 
there is a loud wheezing, the face becomes flushed 
and even assumes a bluish tinge, the body is bathed 
in cold perspiration, the eyeballs seem to protrude, 
the eyes stare, the muscles of the neck become fix- 
ed, the lips parched and the patient can hardly gasp. 
A paroxysm may last only a few minutes or may 
continue for several hours without intermission. 
When the paroxysm is over a person may go a day, 
several days, or many weeks without a recurrence, 
while it frequently happens that an attack comes on 
suddenly, when a person goes from one locality to 
another to stay for a few days. We have known of 
persons who would be entirely free from asthma in 
New York City and Cairo, Egypt, but could not live 
in any place else without having several attacks 
during the course of a week. 

Treatment. — The first thing to consider in the 
treatment of asthma is to relieve the impending or 
existing paroxysm. The simplest means of doing 
this, which can always be procured within a short 
time, is to burn dry stramonium leaves or nitre 
paper, and to inhale the smoke as it escapes from 
the burning mass. The nitre paper is prepared by 
steeping ordinary blotting paper in a strong solution 
of saltpetre, and then allowing it to dry so that the 



92 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

water is driven off and the saltpetre remains in the 
tissue of the paper. Our Improved Inhaler, with 
our asthmatic inhalation, will be found more con- 
venient and more effective as an inhalation during 
the paroxysm than anything that has heretofore 
been offered to the public. With a view to relieving 
the spasmodic condition of the muscles of respira- 
tion, and to give the patient relief during the night, 
our Neurodine Tablet should be taken as directed 
at bedtime, when a comfortable night's rest can al- 
ways be insured. After the paroxysm of asthma 
has passed, the continued use of our Inhaler, and 
the administration of one Neurodine Tablet on going 
to bed, will often relieve the spasmodic conditions 
that tend to produce the paroxysms, and have in 
many cases effected what appears to be a radical 
cure of asthma. 

ACUTE NASAL CATARRH. 

When the mucous membrane of the nose is 
attacked by an acute inflammation it is called a cold 
in the head, coryza, or acute nasal catarrh. It is 
due to exposure to cold, sudden changes of temper- 
ature, going from a warm room out-doors when 
overheated, wet feet, or the inhalation of any irri- 
tating gas or vapor through the nose. 

An attack of this kind is usually attended by 
muscular soreness, general languor, headache, and 
chilliness, a dryness of the nose, inclination to 
sneeze, and an inability to breathe through the nose 



ACUTE NASAL CATARRH. 93 

when the mouth is closed. A profuse watery dis- 
charge soon takes place from the nostrils, which 
gradually becomes thick and offensive. The sense 
of smell is diminished or destroyed, the voice 
assumes a nasal twang and the mouth must be 
kept open in order to breathe. During the fall, 
winter, and spring months persons are very liable to 
this form of cold and may have repeated attacks at 
short intervals during the changeable weather. 
In this manner the membranes become thickened 
and a condition of chronic nasal catarrh is produced. 

Treatment. — With the first symptoms of a cold in 
the head the feet should be soaked in mustard 
water as hot as can be borne before retiring to bed, 
and a hot lemonade or whisky sling should be ad- 
ministered, while plenty of bed-clothing should be 
used to retain the warmth of the body. This will 
often result in a free perspiration and the patient 
awakens in the morning without the least symptom 
of the disease. When attainable a Turkish bath 
taken at the beginning of an attack will invariably 
break it up and save the patient much annoyance. 
Should the symptoms continue the second day, our 
Malaria Pill should be used as directed for a day or 
two, and tincture of aconite may be given in one- 
drop doses, every half hour whenever the skin feels 
hot and feverish. 

For local treatment our Improved Home Inhaler 
should be used several times a day with Inhalent 
No. 1, and persons who are liable to frequent attacks 



94 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

of cold in the head should use it regularly whenever 
they feel the first symptoms of a fresh cold. 

ULCERATION OF THE NOSE. 

Persons who are weak and debilitated from any 
cause or whose blood is impoverished are liable to 
suffer from ulceration of the mucous membrane as 
well as of the bones of the nose after frequent 
attacks of acute catarrh. 

The first symptoms are those to be hereafter de- 
scribed under the heading of chronic catarrh, but 
soon the discharges become very offensive and after 
a time small pieces of bone will be found to be 
mixed with them. The first indication of this 
should warn the patient of the extensive destruction 
of bone that is liable to follow, and an experienced 
surgeon should be consulted without delay.* 

SORE THROAT. 

The mucous membrane of the large cavity form- 
ing the back part of the throat, which is called the 
pharynx, the tonsils, and the soft palate, are fre- 
quently affected by acute inflammation resulting 
from cold, and while different names are given to 
the inflammation affecting these several tissues, 
the general term of sore throat is commonly applied 
to one or all, from the fact that there is tenderness 



* We shall always be glad to recommend experienced sur* 
geons to any one writing us for information. 



QUINSY. 95 

of the throat and pain with every attempt at swallow- 
ing, when these parts are inflamed. 

There is a general feeling of dryness and ob- 
struction in the throat, the membrane is swollen and 
very red, the soft palate is thickened and elongated, 
and often the tonsils are so enlarged as to fill up 
the entire throat. Sometimes the tonsils are cover- 
ed with ulcerated patches, which indicates a severer 
form of inflammation. These patches are isolated 
at first and must not be mistaken for the extensive 
ulceration characteristic of diphtheria. Many 
physicians pronounce every case of this kind 
11 diphtheria," and then take the credit of speedily 
curing that disease. 

Treatment. — In all cases of sore throat the voice 
should be used as little as possible. Mustard plas- 
ters may be applied externally over the seat of the 
soreness and left on until the skin is decidedly red. 
This draws the blood to the surface and relieves the 
local inflammation of the throat. For the local 
treatment our Improved Inhaler should be used 
with Inhalent No. i, as often as the soreness and 
dryness of the parts become annoying to the patient. 

QUINSY. 

The two little glands generally called the tonsils, 
situated on either side of the throat, between the 
folds of the mucous membrane, are sometimes the 
seat of a local inflammation that does not extend to 
other parts. It is due to exposure to cold or damp, 



96 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

or any causes that tend to produce, inflammation of 
any of these tissues. This inflammation is spoken 
of as tonsillitis, but it often receives the common 
name quinsy, though, properly speaking, the name 
quinsy should not be applied unless suppuration 
takes place and matter forms in the interior of the 
tonsils. 

The symptoms are the same as those described 
for sore throat, but when matter forms in the ton- 
sil, a deep seated, throbbing pain is felt sometimes 
for several days, and every attempt to swallow is 
followed by the most excruciating suffering. In 
some cases even the breathing becomes very diffi- 
cult, in consequence of the filling up of the cavity 
of the throat. This severe pain, especially that of 
the deep-seated throbbing character, indicates the 
formation of matter. 

Treatment. — On the start the same treatment as 
recommended for general sore throat should be 
followed, but -n hen the tonsils seem to be very 
large, and the pain above mentioned is suddenly 
developed, the best course to pursue is to have the 
tonsils lanced by a physician, even if no matter be 
present. This allows a large quantity of blood to 
escape and thus relieves the congestion of the part 
so that in many instances the matter will not form 
afterwards. Where this cannot be done, hot fo- 
mentations of hops, or flaxseed meal poultices, should 
be applied to the throat so as to favor the speedy 
formation of the matter and a spontaneous dis- 



croup. 97 

charge of the same, for no relief can be obtained 
until the local distention is relieved in one of these 
ways. For the relief of the intense suffering our 
Neurodine Tablet may be given as directed. After 
the pus has discharged, the Improved Inhaler with 
Inhalent No. I, should be used two or three times 
a day till the soreness entirely disappears. 

croups. 

The mucous, or lining membrane of the larynx 
(upper part of the windpipe) in children is liable to 
be affected by an inflammation to which the com- 
mon name croup has been applied. There are 
three varieties of the disease, which are named re- 
spectively mucous, spasmodic, and membranous 
croup. Mucous Croup is a mild inflammation of the 
membrane resulting from cold. It comes on sud- 
denly during the night, with difficult breathing and 
a croupy cough which awakens the child even out 
of a sound sleep. Sometimes a slight cough with 
the usual symptoms of cold may be present during 
the day, but nothing is thought of it. A rough, 
whistling sound accompanies the breathing, the cry 
and voice are hoarse and the cough has a rough 
metallic sound. Mucus accumulates in the throat, 
and renders the breathing difficult and even causes 
symptoms of strangulation. The cough of croup 
when once heard can easily be recognized by any 
one, while the rattling of the mucus readily dis- 
tinguishes this from the other varieties of croup. 



9b THE HOME DOCTOR. 

At first the skin is hot and dry, and the pulse full 
and hard, but soon the extremities become cold, 
the skin is covered with a cold perspiration and 
the pulse becomes rapid and feeble. 

Spasmodic Croup is also due to cold, but the at- 
tacks are not severe and are soon over. A slight 
hoarseness and cough in the evening is followed 
by a few hours of restless sleep from which the 
child awakes with a paroxysm of difficult breath- 
ing. A hoarse, metallic cough next occurs, while 
the child cannot speak above a whisper. There is 
no fever or other constitutional disturbance, and no 
accumulation of mucus in the throat; and in a few 
minutes the paroxysm ceases, and the child speed- 
ily falls a sleep again. After an interval of a few 
minutes another paroxysm occurs, and so they 
may continue during the night, but in the morning 
there is no symptom of the trouble left, excepting 
possibly a slight cough. 

Membranous Croup begins as an ordinary cold 
and gradually increases for several days before the 
croupy symptoms come on. A tough, tenacious 
mucus collects in the windpipe, which causes a 
whistling kind of breathing, with spasmodic attacks 
of croupy cough. The skin is dry and hot, and the 
pulse rapid and hard, the breathing is permanently 
difficult, while the croupy cough comes on at inter- 
vals. If these symptoms are not relieved before 
the mucus in the windpipe obstructs the breathing 
the skin and lips assume a purple hue, the extrem- 



croup. 99 

ities become cold, and languor and stupor soon fol- 
low, because enough air does not reach the lungs 
to supply the blood with the oxygen necessary to 
sustain life. 

Treatment. — Hot fomentations of hops should be 
applied around the throat, and changed every half 
hour so as to keep up the heat, and when the skin 
is hot and dry the following should be administered: 
Tincture of aconite root, ten drops; tincture of lo- 
belia, thirty drops; water, eight tablespoonfuls. 
Dose, a teaspoonful every fifteen or twenty minu- 
tes. In cases of spasmodic croup a teaspoonful of 
tincture of gelsemium may be substituted for the 
ten drops of tincture of aconite in the above. In 
severe cases, where the breathing becomes greatly 
obstructed, it is essential to cause vomiting so as to 
dislodge the accumulating false membrane before 
it completely obstructs the breathing. For this 
purpose twenty drops of tincture of lobelia with ten 
drops of tincture of ipecac should be given in a 
tablespoonful of sweetened water, every fifteen or 
twenty minutes till vomiting is produced. After 
the vomiting the child is very much prostrated, but 
if the phlegm has been thrown off reaction will 
soon take place. 

Great relief is often obtained by pouring boil- 
ing vinegar upon a handful of hops, in a tea- 
pot, and allowing the child to inhale the steam 
from the spout for ten or fifteen minutes at a 
time. 



THE HOME DOCTOR. 



LOSS OF VOICE. 



A complete Loss of Voice will sometimes follow 
a cold in the throat and windpipe, and it is often 
unattended by pain. It is due to a relaxation of 
the vocal cords, and to effect a cure all attempts at 
talking must be avoided. 

Treatment. — Our Nerve Tonic Pill must be used 
to give the requisite tone to the relaxed condition 
of the throat, and for local treatment our Improved 
Inhaler, with Inhalent No. I, should be used every 
hour or two during the day. 

INFLAMMATION OF THE LARYNX. 

The upper part of the windpipe is technically 
called the larynx and the lower part is called the 
trachea, while the branches that extend to the lungs 
and their several ramifications are called bronchial 
tubes. The larynx is often the seat of an inflam- 
mation, either acute or chronic, which may have 
been an extension of an inflammation of the back 
part of the throat, or may have been produced pri- 
marily by cold or sudden changes of temperature, 
as well as by the inhalation of irritating gases. 
The inflammation of these air passages is usually 
spoken of as a cold on the chest; and this name is 
not inappropriate when any of the mucous surfaces 
of the air passages below the pharynx become in- 
flamed. The symptoms attending upon the in- 



INFLAMMATION OF THE LARYNX. IOI 

flammation of these surfaces are a sense of dryness 
and a desire to clear the throat, a sharp pain on 
swallowing, soreness and stiffness of the neck over 
the windpipe, a harsh, dry cough with a scraping 
or raw sensation of the surfaces, a frothy mucus 
expectoration which gradually changes its charac- 
ter and presents a yellowish appearance as if mix- 
ed with pus, while more or less hoarseness is pre- 
sent, and in some cases there is a complete loss of 
voice. These symptoms may last but a few days, 
or may continue for weeks, or even result in a 
chronic inflammation of the part affected. 

Treat?7ient. — It is wise in all such cases to avoid 
exposure to cold or damp air and avoid using the 
voice as much as possible. A mustard plaster 
should be placed over the seat of the pain, on the 
neck and upper part of the chest. The hot mustard 
footbath is always serviceable in the onset of the 
disease, and a hot lemonade or hot whisky sling 
taken at bed-time will often relieve the local inflam- 
mation. Our Improved Inhaler with Inhalent No. i , 
should be used to secure relief of the localr symp- 
toms, for this is one of the few instruments that 
will admit of a medicated air being carried directly 
to the air passages, so as to reach the inflamed sur- 
faces. Home Cough Lozenges should be taken as 
directed every hour or two to promote expectoration 
and relieve the patient of coughing. Even chil- 
dren over a year old can take about one-quarter of 
a lozenge every couple of hours, if necessary. 



102 THE HOME DOCTOR. 



CHRONIC CATARRH. 

By Chronic Catarrh in this connection we mean 
a chronic inflammation of the mucous surfaces of 
the air passages of the head and throat, although 
the term is also applied, as already stated, to inflam- 
mation of similar surfaces in other portions of the 
body. The acute inflammation just described, 
especially when it occurs frequently, often leaves 
the membrane in a weakened and inflamed condi- 
tion. It matters little where the inflammation 
starts, when it begins to assume a chronic form it 
usually spreads along the continuous surfaces until 
it reaches the membrane of the nose. The cavities 
in the head, above the nose and back of the throat, 
become involved in one continuous condition of 
chronic inflammation. When this condition is once 
developed the membranes may be dry and hot, but 
more commonly a thick tenacious mucus is con- 
tinually being secreted from the inflamed surfaces. 
Usually the secretion accumulates in the back of 
the throat, and forms hard lumps during the night, 
which the patient finds it difficult to dislodge by re- 
peated hawking and coughing during the morning. 
This constant effort to clear the throat of the 
accumulated mucus aggravates the trouble, makes 
the voice rough and husky, and occasions a con- 
tinuous hacking cough. In severe cases there is a 
constant pain above the nose and across the eye- 
brows, an offensive odor to the breath, and in manv 



CHRONIC CATARRH. 103 

cases a complete loss of the sense of smell. So se- 
vere are these symptoms during the cold weather 
that every effort to treat the disease is liable to be 
followed by repeated fresh colds and an aggravation 
of the symptoms, so that persons suffering from ca- 
tarrh usually think the disease cannot be cured. 
We have found out by long experience, however, 
that, when properly treated during the summer 
months, the worst cases of catarrh can be radically 
cured, and it was by efforts in this direction that 
led to the introduction of our simple Improved In 
haler, the use of which, with our Inhalent No. I, if 
persistently followed during the summer, will cure 
the worst cases of chronic catarrh. It may, how- 
ever, often be necessary to resort to our Alterative 
Pill for the purpose of reducing the extreme thick- 
ness of the mucous membrane which has been de- 
veloped by the long continuance of the disease. 
This improves the condition of the blood and 
materially aids the local treatment in affecting the 
radical cure. 

Some cases may require the application of strong 
medicines to the affected surface for a few weeks 
before the home treatment can do any good. These 
applications, however, should only be made by an 
experienced physician. It is useless, however, to 
begin the treatment of such cases during the winter 
months. We are prepared to give patients from 
the country the most skillful treatment, with home 
comforts, while in the city. 



104 THE HOME DOCTOR. 



PNEUMONIA. 



Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lung tis- 
sues proper. It is also called "lung fever," and 
"winter fever." It is produced by exposure to 
cold, and attacks those whose vitality has been re- 
duced from any cause. Some claim that it is due 
to a disease germ, or pneumonia bacillus. 

A general depression or languor, a hacking 
cough, quick-short breathing, a sense of oppression 
in the chest, with chilliness and coldness of the ex- 
tremities are the early symptoms. These may be 
felt for a day or two, when a decided chill comes 
on which may last for one or two hours. As soon 
as the chill passes febrile symptoms come on, and 
the respiration becomes shorter, and the breathing 
difficult. 

Whenever these symptoms manifest themselves 
a physician should be sent for without delay, and 
till he arrives an effort should be made to promote 
perspiration. In short a free perspiration must be 
maintained throughout the disease, and the pulse 
and temperature must be kept down with tincture 
of veratrum viride in two or three drop doses, every 
half hour, till the skin becomes moist or slight 
nausea is produced. But no one should attempt to 
treat this disease without the aid of a physician. 

PLEURISY. 

Pleurisy is an inflammation of a membrane 
called the pleura, which lines the inner surface of 



PLEURISY. I05 

the walls of the thorax and incases the lungs. The 
pleura may be the primary seat of the inflammation, 
or the disease may extend to it from the lungs. It 
begins with a chill, fever, pain in the side, and dif- 
ficult breathing. After a time the pain is intense 
with every full breath, and is of a sharp, cutting 
character. 

This is also a disease that should not be treated 
without the aid of a physician, as many serious 
complications are liable to follow it, if not properly 
treated from the start. 



I06 THE HOME DOCTOR. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Diseases of the Nervous System. 

Headache — Vertigo — Spinal Irritation — Con- 
vulsions — Epilepsy — St. Vitus Dance — Hys- 
teria — Hiccough — Sea Sickness — Neural- 
gia — Paralysis. 

Diseases of the nervous system include all affec- 
tions of the brain, spinal cord, nerves of special sense 
and the nerves of motion and sensation. Each of 
these are liable to diseases both acute and chronic 
in character, but many of them are so important 
and serious in their nature as to require the atten- 
tion of the physician, so that each symptom may be 
properly managed as it- develops. Among these 
acute disorders are congestion and inflammation of 
the brain, apoplexy, spinal meningitis, convulsion's, 
lockjaw, and insanity, from whatever local condi- 
tion ;t may arise. Among the nervous disorders 
that may be treated at home must be mentioned 
headache, vertigo, spinal irritation, epilepsy, hys- 
teria, St. Vitus dance, hiccough, delirium tremens, 
neuralgia of all kinds, toothache, sunstroke, and 
some forms of paralysis. 



HEADACHE. 107 



H E AD AC H E. 



Headache is generally looked upon as of little 
significance, and many persons allow themselves 
to be sufferers from some of its forms for years, 
without doing anything in the way of medical 
treatment. This is a mistake, and it should be 
borne in mind that severe headaches, frequently 
recurring, often result in more serious disorders of 
the brain. There are many forms of headache, 
each of which is due to a variety of causes, though 
it may often be a symptom of some other disease. 

The principal forms of headache are the nervous, 
bilious, congestive, plethoric, and sick headache; 
while we also have rheumatic headache, renal head- 
ache, and headache resulting from organic changes 
in the brain itself, which is usually called organic 
headache. It is needless to say that all these head- 
aches are attended with severe pain in the head, 
which many times become almost unbearable. 

Nervous headache is more liable to attack per- 
sons of an excitable nervous disposition, and is 
more common in women than in men. Among the 
existing causes of this form of headache may be 
mentioned excessive mental effort, business worry, 
loss of sleep, sexual excess, diseases of the womb, 
etc. 

In bilious headache the skin is sallow, the bowels 
constipated, and there is a general feeling of de- 
pression present. The pain is confined to the eye^ 



108 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

brows and forehead, and is of a throbbing character. 
The skin is hot, the muscles are sore, the tongue is 
coated, the appetite poor, and nausea is usually 
present, though vomiting rarely occurs. 

Sick headache is invariably due to some derange- 
ment of the digestion. A dull heavy pain is felt up- 
on waking or soon after getting up, the usual symp- 
toms of indigestion are present, and continuous 
nausea followed by vomiting invariably manifests 
itself. Every attempt to move increases the nausea, 
and the vomiting rarely subsides until the contents 
of the stomach, with considerable bile, have been 
thrown up. The pain often locates itself on one side, 
most commonly the left, and will be felt frequently 
darting through the ball of the eye. 

Plethoric headache is a form that usually attacks 
persons who are full-blooded. The symptoms are 
extreme fullness and throbbing through the temples 
and over the eyebrows, dizziness following the 
slightest motion, frequent bleeding from the nose, 
and sometimes diarrhea, and the pain is of a pulsat- 
ing, throbbing character. 

The rheumatic headache attacks persons suffer- 
ing from rheumatism. It is felt more in the back 
of the head and is of a dull aching character, with- 
out throbbing. The affected part is tender on 
pressure and the skin of the forehead and scalp is 
cool and moist. The pain is worse toward evening 
and is more severe as the acute symptoms of rheu- 
matism diminish. 



HEADACHE. IO9 

In some conditions of the system where there is 
an accumulation of oxalate of lime in the urine 
with a scanty flow of that secretion, and in all dis- 
orders of the kidneys, a feeling of soreness is felt at 
the base of the brain, which extends upward from 
the sides and centers itself on the top of the head. 
In congestion or inflammation of the brain or 
the membranes covering it, headache is a promi- 
nent symptom, but the other acute symptoms are 
of such a character as to indicate positively the na- 
ture of the trouble, and the headache is consequent- 
ly of secondary importance. 

Treatment. — The condition of the stomach and 
bowels must always be considered in every case of 
headache, as constipation and indigestion will in- 
variably aggravate and often indirectly produce 
the several headaches above described. It is, there- 
fore, advisable for all persons thus afflicted to keep 
the liver and bowels regular by the use of our 
Home Liver Pills, and where the digestion is im- 
paired our Dyspepsia Pill should be used regularly 
until digestion is properly performed. In the bil- 
ious, sick, and plethoric headaches, this treatment 
is of the greatest importance, and must be followed 
up regularly if a cure is desired. Nervous head- 
ache also requires hygienic consideration. Exces- 
sive mental labor must be avoided, and the nervous 
system toned up by the use of proper remedies. In 
women, where the headache may be due to some 
uterine disorder, that condition should be looked 



110 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

after before permanent relief can be obtained. 
With a view to giving general tone to the nervous 
system our Nerve Tonic Pill will be found specially- 
serviceable. Soaking the feet in hot water before 
retiring, and taking a hot lemonade or whisky 
sling, containing about an ounce of good whisky, 
will often relieve a severe headache. This is par- 
ticularly true in cases of sick or bilious headache. 
Where the bowels have been constipated in the 
morning a full dose (one ounce) of Rochelle salts 
taken before breakfast will move the bowels in a 
short time, and in that way the headache will often 
be relieved. In the rheumatic or renal headache, 
the disease of which the headache is a symptom 
must be specially treated as indicated under the 
respective headings. With a view to giving prompt 
relief from any severe headache, nothing is better 
than our Neurodine Tablet. If taken according to 
directions it will stop the pain by relieving the con- 
gestion of the nerve centers, thereby producing a 
natural sleep. In nervous headaches this pill 
should be given every night at bedtime so as to 
quiet the patient and permit a natural sleep, and 
the Nerve Tonic Pill should be given during the 
day for the purpose of toning up the general sys- 
tem. In a few cases of headache from indigestion, 
where the stomach is evidently disturbed by the 
presence of undigested food, an emetic may be 
given with advantage. The simplest thing for this 
purpose is warm water and salt, or mustard water. 



VERTIGO SPINAL IRRITATION. Ill 

After the stomach is thus emptied an ounce of 
good whisky or brandy will often give prompt 
relief. 



Vertigo, or dizziness, is not of itself a disease, 
but a symptom which attends many other disor- 
ders. Diseases of the heart, stomach, and ear, are 
often attended by it. It is also frequently present 
in women undergoing " change of life." 

Treatment. — It is always necessary, if possible, 
to ascertain the cause of the dizziness in order to 
successfully treat it. If it is due to disease of the 
heart, absolute quiet is necessary to relieve it; and 
when it depends on a disordered stomach, that 
must be attended to. In most cases, whatever may 
be the exciting cause, the direct one is a fullness of 
the blood vessels of the brain. This is best relieved 
by the free use of our Home Liver Pill in doses 
sufficiently large to have a decided purging effect. 
In addition to this from ten to fifteen drops of the 
fluid extract of ergot should be taken three or four 
times a day, and in severe cases half a teaspoonful 
may be given at a dose. 

SPINAL IRRITATION. 

Tenderness along the spine accompanied by an 
uneasy ache and a feeling of general languor is 
commonly spoken of as spinal irritation. It is al- 
ways due to diseases of some of the internal or- 



112 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

gans, and is more common with women who are 
suffering from disease of the womb, and with 
young girls whose menstrual (monthly) periods 
have not been properly established. 

Treatment. — Rest in the recumbent position is 
often necessary, but in all cases a surgeon should 
be consulted with the view of ascertaining if some 
mechanical support is not needed. Women would 
always be benefited by using our Tonic Pill for 
Women, and men will find our Nerve Tonic Pill a 
valuable remedy. In all cases, however, it is neces- 
sary to find out what the cause of the spinal irrita- 
tion is and to remove the same if possible. 

CONVULSIONS. 

The convulsions so commonly met with in chil- 
dren are all due to some form of direct or reflex 
irritation of the nervous system. The irritation of 
teething, the presence of worms, undigested food 
and inflammation of the stomach and bowels, are 
the most common causes. 

Treatment. — The cause must always be ascertain- 
ed and properly treated in all cases of convulsions. 
When a paroxysm is on, or threatened, the feet and 
hands should be put in hot mustard water and from 
three to five drops of tincture of gelsemium given 
in a teaspoonful of water, to a child under five 
years of age. If the head is hot and the face 
red, cold applications should be made to the 
head, 



EPILEPSY. 113 

EPILEPSY. 

Epilepsy, or " falling sickness " as it is sometimes 
called, is a nervous disease in which a sudden loss 
of consciousness and convulsions characterize an 
attack. The attacks come on at longer or shorter 
intervals, depending on the condition of the patient 
and the excitement to which he may be exposed. 

Headache, dizziness, and confusion of mind, us- 
ually precede an attack, and in some cases the pa- 
tient feels as if a current of cold air was blowing 
upon him, and extending from the feet upward. 
The patient falls suddeny, and the fit is character- 
ized by the paleness of the face, violent convulsions 
of all the muscles of the body, rigidity of the jaw, 
the eyes open and staring, and frothing at the 
mouth. A paroxysm may last from a few seconds 
to several minutes, after which it will cease for a 
short time and then recur as before. The patient 
may be rational in a few minutes after an attack, or 
may know nothing for several days. In either case 
he has no knowledge of what had occurred. Weeks 
or months may pass before another attack; but if 
the case is not properly treated, the attacks become 
more frequent and severe till finally a complete loss 
of mental power occurs. 

Treatment — During a convulsion nothing can be 
done, and any effort to give medicine is useless. 
After a paroxysm, however, thirty drops of tincture 
of gelsemiym should be given in a little water as 



114 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

soon as the patient can swallow, and this can be re- 
peated every half hour, if there is a recurrence, till 
the paroxysms are entirely controlled. 

These cases need long and careful treatment, 
and often each case needs something entirely differ- 
ent from any other. We prefer to prescribe for 
each case individually as the medicine may have to 
be varied according to the symptoms in each case. 
Whenever a description of a case is sent to us, we 
will send the necessary medicine at the standard 
price of one dollar for one hundred pills or tablets. 

ST. VITUS DANCE. 

St. Vitus Dance, or Chorea, is usually a disease 
of childhood though it is sometimes met with in 
adults. It is a condition of involuntary and irregu- 
lar spasmodic movements of muscles, and is proper- 
ly a sympathetic nervous derangement, caused by 
irritation of certain nerves, resulting from indiges- 
tion, rheumatism, disturbances of the heart action, 
intestinal worms, and general debility from previous 
disease. 

Treatment. — There are so many conditions that 
may produce this disorder that a physician should 
always be called to ascertain the cause of the dis- 
ease. In girls it is often caused by delay in the 
appearance of the menses (monthly periods); while 
irritation of the head of the penis by a long fore- 
skin often causes it in boys. In the latter case an 
operation is the only thing that will relieve it, The 



HYSTERIA. T T 5 

cause of the disturbance must be properly treated 
and the patient supplied with the most nutritious 
diet. 

HYSTERIA. 

Hysteria, or Hysterics, is a peculiar sympathetic 
derangement of the nervous system, affecting the 
nerves of motion and sensation, and in severe cases j 
even deranging the mind. It was formerly thought 
to occur only in women, but more recent investiga- 
tions show that men also suffer from it. In women 
it is invariably associated with some disturbance of 
the womb, while men suffer from it after severe 
mental prostration following other diseases, espe- 
cially long-standing disorders of digestion. The 
symptoms are those of uneasiness, extreme anxiety, 
and general depression of spirits, although at times 
the patient seems unusually joyful, laughs inordi- 
nately without cause, and the next minute will break 
down and cry as if suffering some terrible afflic- 
tion. The limbs are stiff and painful, there are 
noises in the ears and confusion of mind, a feeling 
as if a ball or lump was stuck in the throat and can- 
not be moved, pulling of ihe hair, grating of the 
teeth, and sometimes spasms. While an attack 
lasts the patient is often uncontrollable, will abuse 
the attendants and friends, and scream, laugh, and i- 
cry alternately. During this time the heart's action 
is very irregular, the breathing difficult, and the 
face is livid and swollen. Great mental excitement 



Il6 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

following a period of depression, the sensation of 
the lump in the throat, and the belief that a variety 
of diseases is developing, are some of the symptoms 
of the milder forms of the disease. Exertion of all 
kinds causes great fatigue, the appetite is lost, and 
the patient becomes pale and thin. It seldom hap- 
pens that such persons are willing to admit that 
anything is the matter with them while the parox- 
ysm is present, while they complain of all kinds of 
imaginary diseases as soon as the paroxysm passes 
over. The nervous system gradually becomes so 
prostrared that the patient can hardly walk or even 
sit up, and some decided treatment is necessary to 
effect a speedy change. 

Treat?7ient. — In the treatment of this disordei 
special attention must be given to the hygienic 
conditions. Moderate exercise in the open air is 
desirable, and the food must be of the most nutri- 
tious character. Beef, mutton, animal broths, etc., 
should constitute the diet, while starches and sugar 
should be practically avoided. Tight lacing and 
heavy skirts suspended from the hips always ag- 
gravate the trouble. No treatment is complete that 
does not see that these things are avoided. Intern- 
ally our Tonic Pills for Women should be used 
regularly as directed during the day time, and our 
Neurodine Tablet should be given every night at 
bedtime. When a hysterical paroxysm is approach- 
ing, or after one has occurred, and there are indi- 
cations of a re-occurrence, our Neurodine Tablet 



HICCOUGH. 117 

should be given every half hour until the nervous 
excitement is quieted down and the patient feels 
comfortable. In all cases a careful examination 
should be made to ascertain the exact cause of the 
disease, and whenever uterine troubles are recog- 
nized these should be specially treated. It is also 
important that the bowels should be regular. 
Where the least constipation or coated tongue is 
present our Home Liver Pills should be used until 
the bowels move regularly. 

HICCOUGH. 

Hiccough is a peculiar noise caused by the con- 
tractions of the windpipe and muscles of the chest, 
which is so familiar to every one that it requires no 
description. It is due to inflammatory conditions 
of the stomach, bowels, and liver, and is a common 
symptom of chronic indigestion. When it occurs 
after a protracted illness of an acute character it is 
a very unfavorable symptom, as it frequently indi- 
cates the near approach of death. 

Treatment. — A sudden start or fright will often 
arrest a paroxysm of hiccough, as will also a dash 
of cold water in the face, or a drink of cold water. 
Ten drops of hartshorn in a wine glass of water, 
taken in one dose, will also frequently counteract 
it. When it occurs frequently, and especially after 
eating, our Dyspepsia Pills should be .used to correct 
the disordered digestion and our Home Liver Pills 
should be taken at bedtime to regulate the bowels. 



IlS THE HOME DOCTOR. 



SEA-SICKNESS. 



Considerable attention has been given to the 
faintness, nausea, and vomiting, from which most 
people suffer during the first few days at sea, and 
various remedies have been suggested, but few if 
any have given the desired relief. 

The treatment should be preventive rather than 
curative, and a person contemplating a sea voyage 
should always prepare the system by a light diet 
for a few days, and the free use of our Home Liver 
Pills every night until the bowels have been freely 
moved. Twenty grains of bromide of sodium when 
taken every three hours after going on shipboard is 
also claimed to have a good effect in preventing 
sea-sickness. This remedy does certainly agree 
with many people, and seems to have a soothing 
influence on the nervous system, and thus prevents 
the nervous shocks incidental to the motion of the 
vessel. When the sickness occurs nothing but free 
vomiting will give any relief. After this occurs the 
juice of a lemon in about a tablespoonful of water, 
without sugar, taken several times a day, often 
overcomes the nausea and faintness. In other 
cases again a tablespoonful of brandy proves the 
best remedy; but as no two cases are exactly alike, 
neither can they be treated in the same way. 
There is no doubt, however, that when the stomach 
and liver are in a healthy condition, and care is 
taken in the diet during the early stages of the 



NEURALGIA. I I <j 

voyage, the sea-sickness will be either entirely ab- 
sent or very slight. 

NEURALGIA. 

Neuralgia is a disease due to a congestion of the 
affected nerves. There may be simply a condition 
of increased sensibility, but usually it extends so 
as to cause intense pain of the darting, shooting 
character. The disease may occur in any part of 
the body, but the face and thigh are the parts 
most frequently affected. 

Neuralgia may be produced by any condition 
that lowers the vitality of the body, while exposure 
to cold, malarial influences, and injuries of the 
nerves themselves, are the most common causes. 
Sometimes a decayed tooth will expose the nerve 
of the tooth, and thus give rise not only to tooth- 
ache but to facial neuralgia. The pain is of the 
dull, aching character at first, which comes on 
gradually and is attended by numbness; but it soon 
becomes sharp, and of the darting, cutting char- 
acter. At one time it may be confined to some par- 
ticular part, and again it will run along the course 
of the nerve both toward the extremity and toward 
the trunk. The pain is often intense and may 
be associated with symptoms of fever. It often 
happens that attacks of neuralgia come on 
periodically, and in such cases they are invari- 
ably associated with malarial conditions, and 
the skin is usually dry and hot, the tongue is 



120 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

coated, the appetite poor, and the bowels consti- 
pated. 

Tic-douloureux, or Facial Neuralgia, is a term 
applied to the disease when it spreads over the 
entire one side of the face, and in this condi- 
tion it will also extend so that it would seem 
as if all the teeth on that side are affected by the 
pain. 

Sciatica is a name given to neuralgia affecting 
the sciatic nerve, which is a large nerve formed by 
the union of several branches of nerves from the 
lower part of the spine. It runs down the outer 
side of the thigh, behind a portion of the hip joint. 
In this form of the disease the pain begins in the 
back and runs down through the hip and thigh to 
the knee. The suffering in these cases is intense 
and may continue for weeks or even months. 

Treatment. — In all cases of neuralgia the patient 
should be kept as quiet as possible. The bowels 
should be regulated by our Home Liver Pills taken 
every night until the desired effect is produced. 
For the relief of the pain there is no remedy equal 
to our Neurodine Tablets, which will invariably 
cure the worst cases of neuralgia when used ac- 
cording to directions. This will not only relieve 
the pain of the affected nerve, but equalizes the 
circulation of the blood in the nerve centers, and 
thus removes the principal exciting cause of the 
disease. When there are evidences of periodicity 
that indicate malarial origin, our Malarial Pills 



121 

should be used freely as directed until :he pe: 
ca] attains iisaf p ear 

The same genera", treatment is necessary for 
sciatica, but it may also be necessary to apply a 
mustard piaster or even a fly blister to relieve the 
severity of the pair.. Sometimes stretching the leg 
will serve a good purpose. In addition to this an 
electric current will be found of great benefit, espe- 
cially that obtained from the Earth-Magneto Elec- 
tric Battery, for the proper use of which see page 
262 It must always be borne in mini that s::a:i:a 
is entirely different from rheumatism, and remedies 
that are proper especially for the treatment of rheu- 
matism do not have any effect :n sciatica. The 
name sciatic rneumatism is a misnomer and often 
leads people to use remedies that can give no pos- 
S'lle relief for the symptcms of this disease, 

Paralysis is a loss c: motion and sensat.in. 
either partial or complete. :: some part ::' the body. 
It is n :t itself a disease, but is a symptom of van : us 
liseases :: train and spinal cord. It will often 
happen that the primary cause may in a great 
measure i-.sappear while the paralyze d t tr. d.ti: r. ::' 
the extremities may continue for some time after- 
wards. A paralysis may affect one arm or leg, or 
both legs, or it may affect one entire side of the 
body. In some cases paralysis occurs suddenly 
while again it develops gradually until either motion 



122 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

or sensation is entirely lost. Sometimes the motion 
is entirely lost while the sensation is perfect, while 
in other cases the patient may have perfect motion 
with an entire loss of sensation. Whatever the 
cause of paralysis, whenever it once occurs, long 
treatment is necessary to restore the affected parts 
to their natural condition. 

Treatment. — The conditions giving rise to the 
paralysis should be ascertained if possible, by a 
competent physician and treated as the circum- 
stances of the case may require. 

In addition to this our Nerve Tonic Pill should 
be used regularly as long as there is any indication 
of defective motion or sensation. The bowels should 
be kept regular by the use of our Home Liver Pills, 
and attention should be given to providing a nutri- 
tious diet. Solids should be avoided as a diet, as 
much as possible, for the digestion is naturally 
feeble, and liquid foods of easy digestion should be 
provided. 



123 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Disease of the Heart. 

Palpitation of the Heart — Rheumatism of the 
Heart — Diseases of the Valves — Enlarge- 
ment of the Heart — Fatty Degeneration 
— Angina Pectoris. 

The diseases that affect the structure of the heart 
are of such a character that they are rarely recog- 
nized until they have become well advanced. Few 
of them can be successfully diagnosed or treated 
without the aid of the experienced physician, and 
it would therefore be useless to attempt any descrip- 
tion of them in a treatise of this character. The 
various valvular diseases of the heart either develop 
as a result of some other organic disease, or in their 
turn give rise to disease of some other organ; and 
the symptoms associated with them are usually 
difficult breathing, cough, mucus secretion from the 
bronchial tubes, bloody expectoration and haemor- 
rhage. These conditions are usually followed by 
dropsy of the abdomen as well as of the feet and 
legs. No general line of treatment can be laid 
down without knowing the exact nature of the 



124 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

trouble, and for this purpose the physician must 
always be consulted. 

PALPITATION OF THE HEART. 

The heart's action often becomes irregular in 
consequence of some sympathetic disturbance 
which is associated with diseases of the stomach, 
liver, or lungs; and it is so violent that the patient 
imagines he has some serious organic disease of 
the heart. This irregular action is usually called 
palpitation, and is always liable to be recognized by 
the patient, while organic diseases of the heart es- 
cape attention for a considerable length of time. 

The usual symptoms of palpitation are a dull 
pain in the region of the heart, rapid tremulous 
beating, a sense of choking, difficult breathing, and 
sometimes a feeling as if the heart was turned over; 
dizziness, faintness, coldness of the skin, and clam- 
my perspiration are always present. These symp- 
toms are always aggravated by lying on the left 
side, and are. always increased when the stomach 
is distended with food or accumulated gases. The 
attacks may come on suddenly after walking, soon 
after a meal, or following an after-dinner smoke. 
In fact excessive smoking will invariably give rise 
to palpitation of the heart, and if it is persisted in 
for any length of time this functional disturbance 
will gradually develop some organic change in the 
structure of the heart itself, thus constituting a 
genuine heart disease, 



RHEUMATISM OF THE HEART. 125 

Treatment. — Derangements of digestion or gene- 
ral nervous prostration must be relieved in all cases 
where palpitation of the heart constitutes a promi- 
nent symptom. The hygienic condition of the 
patient must aiways be seen to, and fresh air, 
especially during the night, good food, and regular 
habits, are of the first importance. In all cases of 
this character the heart disturbance is sympathetic, 
or functional, as it is sometimes called, and with a 
view of relieving the immediate attack two of our 
Neurodine Tablets may be given at a dose and re- 
peated in half an hour, if necessary, to give relief. 
When constipation is present our Home Liver Pill 
must be used to overcome it, and the special disease 
occasioning the palpitation must be treated before 
permanent relief can be obtained. It can, however, 
be laid down as a general rule that when a person 
complains of irregular action of the heart, and is 
constantly dreading death from heart disease, the 
disorder is of this character, and not organic. 

RHEUMATISM OF THE HEART. 

When acute rheumatism attacks different joints 
and muscles in succession, it is liable to affect the 
muscular structure of the heart, thus producing 
rheumatism of the heart. When this condition de- 
velops, the severe pain usually leaves the parts of 
the body that were first attacked. 

In mild cases there is a dull pain in the region 
of the heart, which lasts for a few moments, and 



126 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

then lets up for a short interval. There is also a 
feeling of great depression, and a difficulty of 
breathing, as in all heart troubles. The pulsations 
of the heart are usually strong, and impart a motion 
to the walls of the chest; while the pulse is quick 
and irregular, and the extremities become cold. 
The action of the skin, kidneys, and bowels, be- 
come obstructed, and more or less headache is lia- 
ble to develop. 

In severe cases the pain is sharp and boring, 
and a pronounced chill is felt. The body becomes 
hot, while the face and extremities are cold and 
bathed in a clammy perspiration. The pain is felt 
most with each pulsation, and the patient will usu- 
ally press his hands to his sides to restrict the mo- 
tion, and thus obtain relief. 

Treatment. — When such symptoms follow an at- 
tack of rheumatism a physician should be sent for 
at once, as such cases are serious, and require im- 
mediate attention. Till the doctor arrives relief 
may be obtained by applying a large mustard plas- 
ter over the region of the heart, with the patient in 
a semi-recumbent position. If at hand, one of our 
Neurodine Tablets may be given every half hour 
till four or five doses are taken. 

If a person has had one attack of rheumatism of 
the heart, he is liable to have another; therefore 
care should be taken to resort to the use of our 
Rheumatic Pills, when the first twinges of rheu- 
matic pains are felt in any part of the body. 



DISEASES OF THE VALVES. 1 27 

DISEASES OF THE VALVES. 

The several valves, or gates of the heart, are 
liable to be affected, and thus produce irregular 
action of the heart, which can only be recognized 
by a careful examination by a physician. When- 
ever any irregular heart action is felt a physician 
should be consulted at once, before the serious 
complications of dropsy and bronchial irritation are 
developed. 

ENLARGEMENT OF THE HEART 

The heart may be enlarged by an increase in 
the muscular structure of the organ or by a dilata- 
tion of the cavities. Sometimes both these condi- 
tions are present, and the heart can then perform 
its functions, almost normally for years, without 
any special inconvenience. 

The only thing to be done by a person suffering 
from this form of heart trouble is to frequently con- 
sult a competent physician, to live regularly, and to 
avoid all violent exercise. 

FATTY DEGENERATION OF THE HEART. 

By Fatty Degeneration of the Heart is meant a 
gradual change of the muscular structure of the 
heart into fatty tissue. This occurs in persons who 
are disposed to grow fat. The usual symptoms are 
a small, weak, irregular pulse, slow respiration, 
and a feeling of faintness on the slightest exertion; 



128 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

but long before any other symptom is noticed the 
patient will find a difficulty of breathing on going 
up stairs, or walking fast. 

Treatment. — A nutritious diet, free from starches, 
sugars, and fats, is of the first importance, and 
some good nerve tonic is also of great value. In 
the absence of a physician our Nerve Tonic Pills 
will do much to increase the strength and improve 
the general condition of the sufferer. 

ANGINA PECTORIS. 

Angina Pectoris, or Neuralgia of the Heart, is a 
disease that begins with an intense, cutting, darting 
pain in the heart, which soon extends over the en- 
tire chest and causes severe muscular contractions. 
Sometimes it is connected with organic diseases of 
the heart and arteries, but it often comes on as an 
independent disease. 

It comes on without warning while the patient is 
following his usual avocation, or even during sleep. 
The pain extends to the left arm and side of the 
neck, and causes great agony, and a sense of suffo- 
cation. The agony may last but a few minutes, or 
it may continue for two cr three hours. When the 
Jisease first shows itself there is usually a long in- 
terval between the attacks, but after a time they 
recur more frequently, and finally may come on at 
any time. 

Treatment. — To relieve the severity of the pain 
during an attack two of our Neurodine Tablets 



ANGINA PECTORIS. 1 29 

should be taken every half hour till the pain is re- 
lieved, or till three doses are taken. To prevent a 
recurrence the best known remedy is nitroglycerin, 
which should be taken in pill form, in doses of one 
one-hundredths of a grain three times a day. 



130 



CHAPTER IX. 

Urinary Diseases. 

Congestion and Inflammation of the Kidneys 
— Bright's Disease — Gravel — Retention of 
Urine — Inflammation of the Bladder — 
Stone in the Bladder — Involuntary Es- 
cape of Urine. 

Under the title of Urinary Diseases are included 
the several disorders of the kidneys, the ureter (or 
passage leading from the kidneys to the bladder), 
the bladder, and the urethra, or outlet of the blad- 
der. The condition of these organs is very import- 
ant to the general health of the system, as their 
function is to remove from the body materials that 
are no longer essential to the support of the tissues. 
Such ingredients are removed from the blood by 
the kidneys and are discharged with the urine. 
A healthy adult will pass about thirty-six ounces or 
a little over a quart of urine per day. When there 
is a perceptible increase or diminution in this quan- 
tity, or when the color varies materially from a 
clear amber hue, it is wise to ascertain whether any 
disturbance of these organs exists, as the success of 
treatment depends upon beginning in their early 



CONGESTION OF THE KIDNEYS. 131 

stages, before any material change of structure has 
taken place. 

CONGESTION AND INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS. 

As a result of exposure to cold the kidneys may 
become congested, and this congestion may extend 
to acute inflammation of the part. This condition 
occasions pain in the region of the kidneys, extend- 
ing downward toward the bladder, and a frequent 
desire to pass water. Only a small quantity of 
water is voided at each effort, and after a time some 
blood is mixed with the urine. The skin is dry and 
hot, nausea is sometimes present, and the patient 
is irritable and restless. The urine for a time be- 
comes scanty, and delirium and stupor set in, as 
the result of the poisoning of the blood by the re- 
tention of the effete material that should be thrown 
off. 

Treatment, — The object of the treatment is to re- 
lieve the kidneys as much as possible. This is best 
done by procuring a free perspiration and copious 
action of the bowels. The patient should be kept 
quiet, hot fomentations or poultices should be ap- 
plied over the kidneys, and ten grains of Dover's 
Powder will often be found of great service in 
quieting the pain and promoting the perspiration. 
Home Liver Pills should be used to promote a free 
action of the bowels, and as soon as the acute symp- 
toms subside remedies should be used to promote 
the action of the kidneys. For this purpose our 



132 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

Home Kidney Pill should be given every three 
or four hours until the urine flows freely. Absolute 
quiet on the part of the patient is essential to a 
speedy reduction of the inflammatory condition. 

bright's disease. 

Bright's disease is the name usually given to 
that form of derangement of the kidneys where a 
change in the structure of the kidneys has followed 
an acute or chronic inflammation of that organ. It 
is characterized by the presence of a white sub- 
stance in the urine which is called albumen, and 
this can always be detected in the urine by the thick 
sediment which Jforms after boiling the urine or 
adding a small quantity of nitric acid to it. 

The first symptoms of this disease are a general 
condition of weakness, scanty urine, and deposit of 
a white sediment in the urine after standing, drop- 
sical swelling of the feet and legs, and the presence 
in the urine of albumen. This can only be recog- 
nized by a chemical and microscopical examination 
of the urine, and this should be made with great 
care, because many physicians make grave mis- 
takes in diagnosis from not properly understanding 
how to examine the urine chemically or failing to 
examine it under the microscope. Any person sus- 
pecting the presence of Bright's disease should at 
the earliest possible time have the urine examined 
by some one competent to do so, and if the slightest 
trace of albumen is present, though it may not nee- 



BRIGHT S DISEASE. 133 

essarily indicate the presence of Bright's disease, 
it should at least warn the patient of possible dan- 
ger ahead, and immediate treatment should be be- 
gun with a view of preventing any possible change 
of the structure of the kidneys, or any development 
of the disease. 

Treatment. — Much has been said about the treat- 
ment of Bright's disease, and many remedies have 
been offered to the public as specifics that were sure 
to cure it. Many of these remedies have been val- 
uable and have deservedly obtained fame as cura- 
tives for Bright's disease. It is unfortunate, how- 
ever, that it is claimed for such remedies that they 
are capable of curing all the evils flesh is heir to. 
It should be borne in mind, and the sooner the les- 
son is learned the better, that medicines that will 
relieve the uncomfortable symptoms of Bright's dis- 
ease cannot by any possibility have any effect upon 
the other organs and structures of the body. The 
object to be attained in the treatment of Bright's 
disease is to arrest the destruction of the tissue of 
the kidneys, and to do this remedies are necessary 
that will produce excessive secretion of the urine. 
When taken in time, and persistently followed ac- 
cording to directions, we believe our Home Kidney 
Pills will be found to promptly relieve those condi- 
tions of the kidneys where albumen is present in 
the urine before there is much breaking down of 
the structure of the kidneys. This pill should 
therefore be taken with the first appearance of the 



134 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

disease, and continued for months, with a view of 
relieving the kidneys of unnecessary work, and 
thereby preventing the further development of 
Bright's disease. We do not say that all cases can 
be cured, for it is a well-known fact that when the 
structure of the kidneys has entirely changed no 
amount of treatment can restore it, and consequent- 
ly the disease cannot be arrested; but in many 
cases it may stop before it extends to the destruc- 
tion of the kidney itself, and in such cases the 
Home Kidney Pills will be found the best remedy 
that can be employed. It is necessary, however, 
that the disease should be properly diagnosed be- 
fore any medicine is used. 

With a view of affording our readers the advan- 
tage of a careful chemical and microscopical exam- 
ination of the urine, for proper diagnosis of this 
and other diseases of the kidneys and bladder, we 
agree, on receiving a sample of urine, with three 
dollars, to return a complete analysis and diagnosis 
of the case. This examination would cost ten dol- 
lars to any person consulting any of our physicians 
in their private offices. 

GRAVEL. 

Gravel is an accumulation of earthy materials in 
the form of minute concretions, resembling gravel 
stones, which develop in the kidneys and pass from 
them to the bladder through the passage which 
conveys the urine. The passage of these little 



GRAVEL. 135 

stones through this narrow canal occasions in most 
instances intense pain, which is of a sharp, deep- 
seated, cutting character. It begins in the region 
of one kidney and passes downward along the 
groin toward the bladder, changing location as the 
gravel stones advance, and finally it ceases on the 
escape of the gravel stones into the bladder. Dur- 
ing the passage of these stones there is a frequent 
desire to urinate, attended by a scalding pain, but 
only a few drops of urine can be voided at a time. 
The passage of the stone may take place in-an hour 
or so, or may occupy several days, during which 
time the patient suffers intensely. After the gravel 
has passed into the bladder, it may sometimes be 
seen or felt escaping through the urethra; and per- 
sons who are once attacked by this disease are liable 
to be so again, and after a time he may even suffer 
from stone in the bladder. 

Treatment. — As nothing is known of the nature 
of the trouble until the stone begins to pass from 
the kidneys, preventive treatment is at first un- 
thought of. During the attack the only thing that 
can be done is to ease the pain and relax the tension 
of the canal through which the stone is passing. 
This is best accomplished by the use of our Neuro- 
dine Tablets, of which two should be taken at a 
dose, and in severe cases two more after an inter- 
val of half an hour. They can be repeated three or 
four times if the pain is not relieved. With a view 
of preventing a recurrence of the trouble, one of 



I36 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

HomeKidney Pill should be taken four or five times 
a day for several weeks. It is an absolute cure for 
gravel, even in its worst form, if taken according 
to the directions. 

When a brick-dust sediment is seen in the urine, 
fifteen drops of nitro-muriatic acid in half a goblet- 
ful of water should be taken three or four times 
a day. The entire quantity should be taken at 
once through a glass tube, and it is very essential 
to dilute it thus largely so as to prevent undue irri- 
tation of the stomach. 

RETENTION OF URINE. 

Sometimes a full quantity of urine may be ex- 
creted by the kidneys, and yet it will accumulate 
in the bladder, without the ability to pass it. This 
is sometimes caused by an effort to retain the urine 
for a long time after the desire to void it occurs. 
If may also be due to a paralysis of the bladder or 
a -contraction of the neck of the bladder, resulting 
from cold or the presence of piles. When the urine 
is retained there is a sense of fullness associated 
with pain in the lower part of the abdomen, and 
after a time the pain and pressure with the desire 
to urinate becomes very severe, while every effort 
to void the urine only seems to make matters worse. 

Treatment. — Hot cloths, or a hot fomentation of 
hops, applied over the region of the bladder will 
often start the urine. Sitting in a tub of hot water 
so that the water comes over the abdomen, up to the 



RETENTION OF URINE. 137 

navel, will also serve the same purpose. If this 
fails to relieve the patient, the physician should be 
sent for and the water drawn off with a catheter. 
In many cases there may be stricture, or some form 
of mechanical obstruction which gives rise to this 
condition, and when such is the case proper surgic- 
al treatment should be sought. 

INFLAMMATION OF THE BLADDER. 

'The lining membrane of the bladder may be af- 
fected by acute or chronic inflammation which may 
result from cold or external injuries, the continued 
and excessive use of medicines that are intended to 
increase the flow of urine, the pressure of a dis- 
placed womb on the bladder, and inflammation ex- 
tending from neighboring parts to the bladder it- 
self. The symptoms are a dull pain in the lower 
part of the abdomen, frequent desire to pass water, 
with increased pain with every effort to do so, scanty 
and high colored urine, scalding sensation along 
the entire course of the canal, a feeling of contrac- 
tion or spasm at the neck of the bladder, and some- 
times a chill, followed by fever, which may con- 
tinue for several days. 

These symptoms are not quite so severe in 
chronic inflammation of the bladder, but are of the 
same general character. A thick white sediment 
is present in the urine, and sometimes it sticks to 
the vessel in the form of a slimy mass. The smell 



I38 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

is putrid and the urine is entirely void of acid. 
The bowels are usually constipated, the appetite 
poor, the skin dry and sallow, and when long con- 
tinued there is a failure of strength and flesh. 

Treatment. — The hot hip-bath and hot hop foment- 
ations, are valuable in any stage of the disease. 
Our Neurodine Tablet may be used to relieve spasm 
and irritation of the nei:k of the bladder, and our 
Home Kidney Pill will be valuable in increasing 
the flow of urine, allaying the irritation and relieving 
the pain. In chronic inflammation it is often neces- 
sary to have the bladder washed out by the intro- 
duction of a soft rubber catheter, through which a 
solution of warm water and golden seal is injected 
into the bladder. In fact, the only radical cure of 
chronic inflammation of the bladder is secured by 
placing the patient in bed and persistently follow- 
ing this treatment for three or four months. With- 
out washing out the bladder and absolute rest no 
cure can be effected, and it is therefore always ad- 
visable for persons afflicted with this form of chron- 
ic bladder disease to seek treatment at some health 
resort or sanitarium where such cases can receive 
the proper attention. 

STONE IN THE BLADDER. 

Stone in the bladder can only be recognized 
after a careful examination on the part of the sur- 
geon, but the general symptoms invariably point 
to the nature of the trouble. With stone in the 



INVOLUNTARY ESCAPE OF URINE. 1 39 

bladder the sense of irritation and burning is al- 
ways felt when the bladder is emptied, while in in- 
flammation of the bladder these sensations are 
present when the bladder is full. While voiding 
the urine the stream will start freely and full, but 
be suddenly stopped before the act is complete. 
After a moment's delay it may begin again and be 
again stopped, and this is repeated two or three 
times before the water is entirely voided. These 
symptoms alone conclusively point to the presence 
of stone in the bladder, but it should be confirmed 
by the examination of the surgeon. 

An operation is the only means by which this 
trouble can be relieved, and it should not be de- 
layed after the case is properly diagnosed. 

INVOLUNTARY ESCAPE OF URINE. 

The involuntary escape of urine from the b'adder 
is called incontinence of urine. It occurs as a con- 
sequence of paralysis of the neck of the bladder, or 
some form of irritation which causes the bladder to 
contract after a small quantity of urine is accumu- 
lated in it. It is a condition that is frequently met 
with in young children and after protracted sick- 
ness. When it takes place it is very distressing, as 
it soils the clothing and produces excoriation of the 
skin of the adjacent parts. 

Treatment. — In cases where the condition is due 
to a tendency to muscular contraction of the neck 
of the bladder, the following mixture will certainly 



I40 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

effect a cure: Tincture of belladonna, thirty drops; 
water, eight tablespoonfuls. Mix, and give a tea- 
spoonful every two or three hours. If the trouble 
is due to a relaxed condition of the neck of the 
bladder, from one to two drops of the tincture of 
nux vomica should be given in a little water two or 
three times a day. 

If one of these remedies is tried, and should fail 
to produce the desired effect after a couple of weeks' 
trial, the other should be resorted to for the same 
length of time, and if both of them fail, it is best 
that a physician should be consulted. 



CHAPTER X. 

Special Diseases of Men. 

Gonorrhea, or Clap — Gleet — Balanitis — Phy- 
mosis — Paraphimosis — Stricture — Swelled 
Testicles — Hydrocele — Varicocele — Self- 
abuse — Spermatorrhea. 

The generative organs of men are affected by a 
variety of diseases, some of which are developed 
from ordinary causes, while others result from 
specific poisons transmitted through impure coitus. 
These diseases are usually spoken of as " Venereal 
Diseases," or "Private Diseases," and in conse- 
quence of their nature more humbug has been prac- 
ticed in connection with their treatment than in any 
other department of medicine. 

Sufferers should shun such public advertisers as 
announce " No cure, no pay," " The oldest special- 
ist," " Twenty-five years' experience," etc., etc., as 
they are invariably men of no experience, who aim 
to profit by the credulity of their unfortunate vic- 
tims. 

These diseases are as amenable to successful treat- 
ment as any others, and when once properly cured 



142 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

leave the patient as tree from subsequent disorders 
as though they had never occurred. 

As a result of impure sexual intercourse a local 
sore on the genitals often results, which is known 
as a chancre, or pox. and from th : s is developed a 
constitutional blood disease which has already been 
treated of on pag 

Of the other diseases of the genitals, the most 
common are gonorrhea and its complications which 
result from impure sexual intercourse, and a num- 
ber of functional disorders, and anatomical and 
physiological abnormalities. 

GONORRHEA. OR CLAF. 

Gonorrhea, or clap, is a specific disease result- 
ing from impure coitus. In the male it affects the 
urethra, or urinary passage, and causes an inflam- 
mation which is accompanied by a profuse dis- 
charge. 

An uneasy tickling sensation is felt in the head 
of the penis in from two to five days after exposure. 
A clear whitish discharge then appears, which soon 
becomes thick and yeilow. A severe smarting or 
burning sensation is felt each time the urine is 
passed, while the head of the penis and the foreskin 
becomes swollen and red. Sometimes there is a 
general condition of fever which lasts for several 
days, and after three or four days the patient often 
experiences painful erections during the night. 



143 



Treatment.— As soon as any of these symptoms 
are recognized, and especially when a discharge 
from the penis is seen a few days after promiscuous 
intercourse, a proper treatment should be adopted 
to insure a speedy cure of the disease. 

With the view of insuring secrecy and an abso- 
lute certainty of a speedy cure, we have prepared a 
tablet which is readily dissolved in water, and also 
a capsule to take internally, which will cure such 
cases in a few days. One of our Home Specific 
Tablets, three times a day, used as directed, in 
connection with our Home Specific Pills, will 
cure this disease more promptly and certainly than 
any other known treatment. 



Gleet is simply a chronic form of gonorrhea, and 
is never met with except as a result of badly treated 
cases of " clap." There is no pain, heat, or swelling 
in this condition, but there is a slight discharge of 
a clear, viscid fluid, which sticks the lips of the 
meatus together. In some cases the stream of 
water is considerably smaller than normal. 

Treatment. — In these cases a radical cure can be 
effected by the use of our Home Specific Tablet 
No. 2 as directed. You can treat yourself at home 
with the certainty of having an absolute cure. 

If this treatment does not give satisfactory re- 
sults, we may have reason to suspect the presence 
of a stricture, when an experienced surgeon should 



144 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

be consulted, and measures adopted at once to 
overcome the stricture. 

BALANITIS. 

Balanitis is an inflammation of the mucous 
membrane lining the foreskin and covering the 
head of the penis. It may be caused by irritation 
from any cause, lack of cleanliness, or the contact 
of the gonorrheal poison. The parts become very 
tender and much swollen, and often a free discharge 
is thrown off from the surface. 

Treatment. — Draw back the foreskin and thor- 
oughly cleans the parts with warm water. Then 
dissolve one of our Home Specific Tablets in two 
tablespoonfuls of water, and bathe the parts thor- 
oughly two or three times a day. 

PHYMOSIS. 

When the foreskin is drawn over the head of the 
penis and so constricted that it cannot be pushed 
back, the condition is called Phymosis. This re- 
sults in an annoying inflammation of the head of 
the penis and the foreskin, which can only be re- 
lieved by a proper surgical operation. 

If you hesitate to consult your family physician, 
we can direct you where to go to have the opera- 
tion successfully performed. When necessary such 
an operation should not be delayed a moment, as 
the normal conditions of the parts are restored as 
soon as the operation is properly performed. 



PARAPHIMOSIS — STRICTURE. 145 

Sometimes the foreskin is unnaturally long from 
birth, and this gives rise to frequent attacks of in- 
flammation. In all such cases the operation known 
as circumcision should be performed as early as 
possible, for an elongated foreskin usually prevents 
the normal development of the penis. 

PARAPHIMOSIS. 

Paraphimosis is a condition in which the foreskin 
is drawn back behind the head of the penis, and 
becomes so inflamed that it cannot be drawn for- 
ward. It seldom occurs except as a complication 
of gonorrhea or chancre. If it is not promptly re- 
lieved it so constricts the head of the penis as to 
cause serious trouble. 

If the patient cannot draw down the foreskin by 
pulling on it with the index and second fingers and 
pushing up the head with the thumbs, a physician 
should be consulted at once. 

STRICTURE. 

A stricture is a contraction of the urinary pas- 
sage that prevents the free passage of the urine 
from the bladder. It is caused by gonorrhea or a 
chancre in the canal, or by some direct local injury. 

The more common symptoms are frequent desire 
to urinate, a gleety discharge, a decrease in the 
size of the stream of urine, or a dividing or twist- 
ing of the stream, If neglected the canal gradually 



I46 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

closes till finally it is almost impossible to void the 
urine. 

These cases cannot be treated at home, and the 
most approved methods do away entirely with cut- 
ting, which was formerly attended by such serious 
results. Those applying to us will be advised how 
and where to get the best scientific treatment. 

SWELLED TESTICLE. 

An enlarged condition of the testicle frequently 
results from inflammation of the organ following 
gonorrhea or direct local injury. 

On the start the pain is severe and the swelling 
increases the size of the organ to three or four 
times its normal condition. Such cases require the 
immediate attention of a skilled surgeon. 

When the enlargement becomes chronic a spe- 
cialist should be consulted. 

HYDROCELE. 

Hydrocele is an accumulation of water in the 
scrotum, or bag. It comes on gradually and often 
attains enormous size. At first it is not attended 
with pain or inconvenience, but after a time it be- 
comes an ugly deformity and interferes with or 
completely destroys the sexual function. 

The usual method of treatment is to draw off the 
water by tapping. When this is done it rapidly 
fills again, and is soon worse than before. 

It is best to consult a reliable specialist from the 



SELF-ABUSE. 1 47 

start, and have an operation performed for its rad- 
ical cure. 

Our surgeons have had* most wonderful success 
in operating on such cases, and will gladly give an 
opinion to any of our readers who send us a de- 
scription of their case. 

VARICOCELE. 

Varicocele is a diseased condition of the veins of 
the testicles, which causes them to enlarge and fill 
the scrotum, and after a time to completely destroy 
the structure of the testicle. 

It is one of the most common causes of spermat- 
orrhea, or loss of manhood, and can only be cured 
by a radical operation. The sooner an operation is 
performed in such cases the better the result. 

SELF-ABUSE. 

By Masturbation, or Self-abuse, is meant the ex- 
citation of the sexual organs by mechanical irrita- 
tion. It is a habit to which both sexes are liable, 
but boys are more addicted to it than girls. It is also 
spoken of as self-polution, the secret vice, onanism, 
etc. It is a vice acquired about the age of puberty, 
and if persisted in for any length of time it de- 
ranges the nervous system, arrests the growth of 
the body and prevents the normal development of L 
the genital organs. 

Parents cannot be too careful in cautioning their 
children against the terrible evils that are sure to 



I48 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

follow this habit. Boys often learn the evils of this 
practice too late to prevent the sequences that are 
sure to follow. Among these may be mentioned 
nervous prostration, melancholia, loss of memory, 
lascivious dreams, nocturnal emissions, and the 
esc-pe of semen in other ways. This unnatural 
escape of semen is spoken of as spermatorrhea, 
which will be next described. 

Any young man who is addicted to this vice 
should have moral strength enough to stop it, and 
at once, and thus save himself much suffering He 
will however be greatly aided in his effort by the 
use of our Home JNerve Tonic Pills, which are so com- 
bined as to constitute an infallible specific in all 
such cases, if taken according to the directions. 

SPERMATORRHEA. 

Spermatorrhea is an escape of seamen without 
sexual intercourse. It may occur during the night 
as the result of a lascivious dream, or it may escape 
with each passage of the urine. In persons who 
have abused the sexual organs in any way the 
sight of a woman will often produce a seminal 
discharge. 

It is usually present in early manhood, and may 
be caused by self-abuse, excessive sexual indulg- 
ence, varicocele, hydrocele, or any wasting nervous 
disease, or long protracted illness. 

If a man has emissions three or four times a 
month, or oftener, it shows an abnormal weakness 



IMPOTENCE. 149 

of his genital organs, which should be corrected at 
once, so as to prevent a destruction of manhood. 

In all such cases, where the special treatment of 
an experienced specialist cannot be obtained, our 
Home Nerve Tonic Pills will give the most satisfactory 
results, and in many cases will effect a radical cure. 

In cases of varicocele or hydrocele an operation 
for the radical cure of these conditions is essential 
to a cure of the spermatorrhea. 

Persons suffering from this weakness should 
send to us for our " Question Blanks for Men." 
By returning the same, with the answers to the 
questions filled in, we will send them, free ai 
charge, a letter of advice, giving full directions as 
to the best treatment to be adopted for each indi- 
vidual case. 

IMPOTENCE. 

Impotence, or loss of manhood, means an ina- 
bility to perform the marital act. This condition 
results from self-abuse, excessive sexual indulg- 
ence, severe mental strain, worry, protracted sick- 
ness, and impaired nutrition. It may occur at any 
period of life, but is most commonly met with in 
young men who have practiced self-abuse, and in 
those who have indulged in sexual excesses. 

Home Nerve Tonic Pills will prove the most 
valuable remedy that can be used at home for all 
recent cases; but in all long standing cases the 
proper application of electricity, and special treat- 



150 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

ment for each case can be prescribed, so as to 
insure a radical cure. 

We will give advice, free of charge, to all per- 
sons who send for and answer our "Question 
31ank for Men;" and from our past experience we 
:an promise a cure in ninty-five per cent, of all 
;ases of impotence. 



I5i 



CHAPTER XL 

Diseases and Injuries of the Skin. 

Acne, or Flesh Worms — Bed Sores — Boils — Car- 
buncles — Corns — Chilblains — Dandruff — 
Falling Out of the Hair — Eczema— Freck- 
les — Nettle Rash, or Hives — Prickley Heat 
— Ring Worm — Salt Rheum — Warts — Itch 
— Barbers Itch — Burns and Scalds. 

The skin is liable to be affected by certain dis- 
eases, as well as to receive injuries which require 
special attention. The most common diseases of 
the skin are acne or flesh worms, bed sores, boils, 
carbuncles, corns, chilblains, itch, barbers itch, 
eczema, dandruff, freckles, moles, nettle rash or 
hives, prickly heat, ring worm, scald head, salt 
rheum, warts, and falling out of the hair, while 
burns and scalds, sunburn and wounds, are the 
most common form of accidents. 

ACNE, OR FLESH WORMS. 

Flesh Worms, as they are commonly called, are 
caused by an accumulation of a natural excretion of 
the skin remaining in the pores, and the surface 
becoming blackened from the dust of the air. 



152 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

This accumulation, after obstructing the pores of 
the skin for a time, often acts as a foreign body, 
thus causing a pimple in which matter forms. 
After the matter is thus formed, the hardened mass 
is loosened and can be easily removed. This con- 
dition is more commonly present in young persons, 
especially after the age of puberty, and is invariably 
due to disordered digestion. The tongue will be 
found coated, the bowels usually constipated, and 
the stomach deranged. 

Treatment. — The bowels should always be reg- 
ulated by the use of our Home Liver Pill, and 
where the digestion is deranged our Home Dys- 
pepsia Pills should be used as directed. The pores 
of the skin throughout the body should be kept free 
and open by frequent bathing, and Turkish or hot 
baths will invariably be found of great value. The 
face and shoulders, where these black heads are 
most commonly noticed, should be bathed at night 
with hot water and the skin rubbed freely with a 
coarse wash-cloth, after which the following lotion 
should be applied: 

Nitrate of potash, one ounce; boracic acid, twenty 
grains; rose water, six ounces. Bathe the face free- 
ly with this mixture, and allow it to dry on the skin 
without wiping. 

BED SORES. 

Bed sores are ulcerated surfaces of the skin 
caused by long continued pressure at one point in 



BOILS. 153 

persons who are confined to bed during a long ill- 
ness. To relieve these the pressure should be re- 
moved from the affected part by cushions or rub- 
ber rings inflated with air, the part should be bath- 
ed with warm water and some fine toilet soap, and 
if the surface is unhealthy it should be sprinkled 
with powdered burnt alum. This should remain 
on for a few hours, when it can be washed off and 
the part dressed with our Home Ointment, 
applied on a piece of lint or old linen, two or three 
times a day. The surface should be washed each 
time the fresh ointment is applied. 

BOILS. 

A boil is an inflammation of a circumscribed 
portion of the skin with the tissue underneath it, 
and is usually the result of impure blood, and some 
local obstruction of the pores of the skin. Usually 
when one boil develops it is succeeded by a number 
of others following at regular intervals. The diges- 
tion is always impaired, and the organs that carry 
off the effete material from the system , are in 
some way obstructed when such a condition is 
present. 

Treat?nent. — The best method of treating aboil is 
to have it lanced deeply upon the first appearance 
of the inflammation. This allows the blood to es- 
cape freely and the matter will net form. 

If this is not done, it should be poulticed with a 
hot flax seed meal poultice until it comes to a head. 



154 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

It should then be opened or squeezed until the 
matter escapes, after which it should be thoroughly- 
cleansed and dressed with the Home Ointment 
at least twice a day. Attention should be given to 
the digestive organs, the bowels should be proper- 
ly regulated, Turkish baths or ordinary hot-water 
baths should be frequently resorted to, and where 
more than one occurs our Home Alterative Pills 
should be taken to purify the blood. 

CARBUNCLES. 

A carbuncle is nothing more or less than a large 
boil. It may occur on any part of the body but is 
most commonly met with on the back of the neck. 
The inflammation often involves the deeper tissues, 
and *in this locality may extend to the roots of the 
nerves, in which case it may prove fatal. When 
the surface involved in an inflammation of this kind 
is extensive and the part tense and hard, an early 
incision should be made in the inflamed part, and 
hot poultices should be afterward applied so as to 
prevent the inflammatory action from extending to 
the deeper tissues. Usually a hard mass called the 
core will be thrown off, after which, if the part is 
thoroughly cleansed, the healing will take place 
kindly. 



Corns are nothing more than thickened cuticle 
resulting from pressure or friction. They are locat- 



CHILBLAINS. 1 55 

ed usually on the toes, or the joints of the great 
and little toes, and sometimes on the soles of the 
feet. Soft corns are situated between the toes. 
The best method of treating a corn is to soak the 
feet thoroughly in water as hot as can be borne, 
and then apply over the surface of the corn 
our Home Corn Cure, which should be applied 
on going to bed. It should also be applied for 
five or six nights in succession, after which the 
feet should again be soaked in hot water, when 
the hard cuticle or corn can be very readily 
peeled off. If this is repeated, and tight shoes 
are avoided, corns can invariably be radically 
cured. 

CHILBLAINS. 

Chilblain is a condition of congestion which 
usually attacks the skin of the sides of the feet, 
heels, nose, ears, and fingers, as a result of expo- 
sure to cold. It causes a tingling sensation with 
intense itching, which is likely to continue as long 
as the cold weather lasts. In some cases the skin 
becomes ulcerated, and annoying sores are thus 
produced. The real cause of the trouble is un- 
known, but it is supposed to be due to an impover- 
ished condition of the blood. The application of 
snow or cold water to the part will give temporary 
reiief, while the most satisfactory results in the way 
of treatment are procured by bathing the parts in a 



I56 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

solution of forty drops of carbolic acid to twelve 
tablespoonfuls of water. 

DANDRUFF. 

Dandruff is a disease of the scalp in which there 
is redness of the skin and an accumulation of mi- 
nute scales of a white, dry character. To relieve 
the condition, the scalp should be thoroughly wash- 
ed with a strong solution of powdered borax (one 
ounce to the pint of water), after which the head 
should be cleansed with clear tepid water. A little 
dilute alcohol should then be rubbed into the scalp 
every night at bed time for a week or two, and thus 
the hair follicles will be so stimulated that the dan- 
druff will be hardly likely to return. A little vase- 
line or other simple hair dressing can be used in 
the morning. 

FALLING OUT OF THE HAIR. 

The hair is liable to fall out from various causes, 
and it has long been the aim of baldheaded people 
to find some remedy that would restore the hair to 
the bare scalp, Kerosene oil applied every night 
has been recommended as a valuable remedy, but 
it must be continued for a long time to secure a 
good result. Anything by which a thorough friction 
of the scalp can be secured will always prove bene- 
ficial, so long as there is the slightest evidence of 
the roots of the hair being alive. As a simple 
dressing, the following will be found serviceable; 



ECZEMA. 157 

Quinine, twelve grains: tannic acid, ten grains; bo- 
rax, twenty grains; dilute sulphuric acid, ten drops; 
tincture of Spanish fly, one drachm; glycerine, one 
ounce; water, five ounces. Mix and use as a hair 
dressing once a day. It is important, however, 
that it should be well rubbed into the scalp, and the 
rubbing continued for five or ten minutes. When 
the hair is thin, a soft brush should be used to 
brush the hair thoroughly for fifteen or twenty 
minutes night and morning. 

ECZEMA. 

The term Eczema is applied to a great variety of 
skin eruptions which present themselves in the 
form of little blisters, secreting a sticky fluid that 
accumulates on the skin and forms a crust or scab. 
Pimples of various kinds in which pus forms, and 
a simple roughness of the skin, are also spoken of 
as eczema. All troubles of this kind are due to ob- 
struction of the pores of the skin, and to poor blood 
from defective nutrition. The treatment of eczema 
must, therefore, be directed to the general hygienic 
conditions of the patient. Frequent bathing, nu- 
tritious diet, and perfect digestion, are essential to a 
cure of the disease, and such remedies as will re- 
lieve any of these defects must be resorted to. In 
obstinate cases our Home Alterative. Pill will be 
found a never-failing remedy for the removal of all 
blemishes of the skin of the character just de- 
scribed, and our Home Ointment should be applied. 



I58 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

FRECKLES. 

The small brown spots on the face and hands of 
persons of fair complexion which are produced by 
exposure to the rays of the sun during warm 
weather are commonly called freckles. These spots 
are permanently present for a considerable time on 
young persons, but are always more pronounced 
during the summer season. They are of slight 
consequence to most persons, but young ladies are 
often greatly worried by them. They will, how- 
ever, find in Kosmema a harmless and pleasant 
cosmetic that can be used, without showing on the 
skin, so as to hide the freckles entirely, and after 
using it for awhile the freckles will be removed. 

NETTLE RASH, OR HIVES, 

Hives is a disease of childhood which makes its 
appearance in the form of elevated blotches, attend- 
ed with heat and intense itching. They are usual- 
ly white and scattered over different portions of the 
body. They are due to impaired digestion, and 
seldom occur excepting as a symptom of impaired 
digestion and with constipated bowels. They are 
best treated by an alcohol sweat, or Turkish bath if 
possible, after which the skin may be bathed with 
a strong solution of salt and water. The bowels 
must be regulated by our Home Liver Pills, and 
proper attention should be given to the diet. The 
heat and itching will be relieved by the Home 
Ointment. 



RING WORM. 159 

PRICKLEY HEAT. 

Prickley Heat is characterized by an eruption of 
minute bright red spots which thickly cover the 
skin, as a result of continued over-heating of the 
body during the extreme hot weather of summer. 
It is attended by intense itching of a prickling 
character. A hot bath, or preferably a Turkish 
bath, will give prompt relief, and the irritation is 
greatly allayed by the use of our Home Ointment 
applied freely to the surfaces covered by the rash. 
This should be applied over the entire surface 
affected, and renewed night and morning after 
bathing. 

RING WORM. 

Ring Worm is a disease of the skin, of a con- 
tagious character, caused by the presence of a 
minute parasite or worm. It shows itself in circu- 
lar patches, the circumference of which increases 
in size with the edges elevated and reddened, while 
the skin in the center retains its natural color. 
When it attacks the scalp the roots of the hair are 
destroyed, and the part becomes bald. The best 
treatment is to apply every night and morning, 
with a camels-hair brush, pure tincture of iodine. 
This should be continued until the skin peels off, 
when, it will be found that the parasite has been 
destroyed. Then the Home Ointment should be 
applied night and morning till a new skin is formed. 



l6o THE HOME DOCTOR. 



SALT RHEUM. 



Salt Rheum is a peculiar skin eruption, analo- 
gous to eczema, which is characterized by symp- 
toms of general languor, constipation, loss of appe- 
tite, and a burning sensation in parts of the skin. 
Red spots then show themselves at the points and 
blisters form which contain a clear fluid that soon 
becomes milky. After four or five days the erup- 
tion dries and a scale forms which drops off in a 
few days leaving a red discoloration of the skin. 
In the chronic form of the disease the patches be- 
come deeply cracked, especially during the cold 
weather. The acute eruption is usually spoken of 
as tetter, while the term salt rheum is applied to 
the chronic form of the disease. The irritation of 
the skin is promptly relieved and the condition 
rapidly cured by the application of our Home 
Ointment night and morning. Cleanliness must 
be rigidly enforced, and fresh air and good diet 
are essential. An alcohol sweat or Turkish bath 
will be found serviceable, and the bath should 
be kept up regularly. In the chronic form of the 
disease our Home Ointment, night and morning, 
hould be applied two or three times a day, 
while internally our Home Alterative Pills 
should be freely administered and continued 
until all the symptoms of the disease have dis* 
appeared, 



WARTS — ITCH. l6l 



WARTS. 



Warts are developed by an enlargement of the 
minute vascular structure of the skin. They are 
usually met with in young persons, and may occur 
singly or in great numbers. They sometimes attain 
large size but are often small and hard. The old 
idea that they are contagious and could be commu- 
nicated by a drop of blood from the wart to the 
hand of another person is erroneous. An applica- 
tion of chromic acid to the wart will harden the 
surface so that it can be scraped off the following 
day. The same application can be made for a 
number of days in succession, while the hardened 
tissue is daily removed, and within a week or ten 
days even long-standing warts can be entirely 
removed. 

ITCH. 

The term Itch is applied to a disease of a conta- 
gious character, due to the presence of an animal 
parasite which usually manifests itself between the 
fingers, and may continue for a long period of time. 
The best treatment is the application on a pine 
stick of a little pure carbolic acid directly to the 
affected part, care being taken not to allow the acid 
to spread over the healthy skin. This strong appli- 
cation destroys the parasite and the part can then 
be readily healed by the application of our Home 
Ointment, This ointment should be applied two 



162 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

or three times a day, and a cure is usually effected 
in eight or ten days. 

BARBERS ITCH. 

Barbers Itch is another form of skin disease due 
to the presence of a parasite and is so called be- 
cause it is often communicated by barbers while 
shaving their customers. When once developed it 
may last for months and may often destroy the 
hair follicles of the mustache and beard. It man- 
ifests itself in the form of hard lumps, which often 
spread over the surface of the cheeks, chin, and up- 
per lip. The same general treatment as that just 
recommended for itch will be found serviceable in 
these cases. 

BURNS AND SCALDS. 

Burns and scalds are conditions in which the 
skin is wholly or partially destroyed by the applica- 
tion of dry or moist heat. Where the skin is red- 
dened and the pain of an intense burning character, 
two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking soda should be 
put in a teacupful of water, the part should be 
bathed in this solution and a piece of muslin satu- 
rated in the solution should be bound on to the 
burned part. In a few minutes, the heat and pain 
will be very much relieved, if not entirely cured. 
When cases are more severe the main object is to 
exclude the air until nature can restore the part to 
its normal condition. This is best done by satura- 



BURNS AND SCALDS. 1 63 

ting a piece of lint in a mixture of ten drops of car- 
bolic acid to two tablespoonfuls of sweet oil. The 
carbolic acid has a soothing, healing effect on the 
burn, while the oil with the lint excludes the air. 
In most cases, it is best to leave the lint on until 
new skin has formed, and the dressing can be re- 
newed by simply pouring carbolized oil over the 
surface of the lint Sometimes it may be necessary 
to remove the lint, when the part should be care- 
fully washed with a solution of twenty drops of car- 
bolic acid to a gobletful of water. 

COMPOUND TALCUM POWDER. 

The original Compound Talcum Powder was intro- 
duced to the notice of the profession over twenty years 
ago by Julius Fehr, M. D. It is a valuable antiseptic 
and disinfecting powder, which gives good results in 
the local treatment of all skin diseases. It is also the 
best powder for general toilet purposes, in caring for 
infants, and to prevent charing and all irritation of the 
skin in adults. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Diseases of Women. 

Absence of Menstruation — Suppressed Menstru- 
ation — Painful Menstruation — Profuse 
Menstruation — The Vulva — Inflammation 
of the Vagina — Inflammation of the Womb 
— Ulceration of the Womb — Laceration of 
the Neck of the Womb — Leucorrhea — Dis- 
placements of the Womb — Laceration of 
the Perineum — Hysteria — Absence of Con- 
jugal Desire — Sterility — Tumors- Cancers. 

Diseases pecular to women have become so com- 
mon that they may be said to belong to our modern 
civilization. Unnatural modes of dress, such as 
tight lacing and high-healed boots, and the viola- 
tion of the laws of health, are the usual predispos- 
ing causes, but there are many exciting causes 
which give rise to special forms of these diseases 
that may often be avoided. 

The functional disorders of women that are usu- 
ally met with are suppressed menstruation, painful 
menstruation, and profuse menstruation. 

Menstruation is the general term given to the 
monthly flow of blood from the womb, which ac- 



ABSENCE OF MENSTRUATION. 1 65 

companies the discharge of the ovum, or egg, from 
the ovary. It is popularly spoken of as monthlies, 
turns, periods, flowers, courses, and being unwell. 
A healthy girl begins to menstruate at the age of 
thirteen or fourteen, and the flow is indicative of 
a normal development of the sexual organs. It 
should come on without pain or suffering of any 
kind every twenty-eight days, and should continue 
for four or five days. Any variation from this rule 
indicates a departure from health, that should be 
corrected by proper treatment. 

ABSENCE OF MENSTRUATION. 

It often happens that girls do not menstruate on 
arriving at the age of puberty. If they remain un- 
developed and have no symptoms of general dis- 
turbance of the system it simply indicates a lack of 
normal development, and no anxiety need be felt 
till a development of the breasts takes place. 

If, however, the girl is fully developed at the 
age of fourteen, and she suffers from fullness of 
the head, headaches, flashes of heat in the head and 
face, and pains in the abdomen, it indicates an 
effort of nature to establish the menstrual flow. 
Under such circumstances, if the flow fails to 
appear an attempt should be made to establish it. 
In some cases it may be due to a mechanical ob- 
struction of the neek of the womb which will re- 
quire a surgical operation to relieve; but in the ma- 
jority of cases there is a congestion of the womb 



l66 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

which can be relieved by appropriate remedies. 
Our Home Tonic Pilis for Women, if taken accord- 
ing to directions, will relieve the congestion and 
establish the menstrual flow. Even after the flow 
has come on the pills should be taken continuously 
for two or three months, so as to insure the regular 
recurrence of the periods. 

PAINFUL MENSTRUATION. 

Many girls and women suffer severe pain just 
before or during the menstrual periods. When the 
pain occurs before the flow begins, it indicates a 
congested or engorged condition of the neck of the 
womb, which narrows the canal through which the 
blood passes. When the blood begins to escape 
the congestion is relieved and the pain is diminish- 
ed or entirely disappears. 

When the pain continues during the entire pe- 
riod, it usually indicates a constriction of the neck of 
the womb, which is permanent in character. 

Treatment. — In all cases of painful menstruation 
our Home Tonic Pills for Women should be used 
continuously during the month between the periods, 
and if continued for two or three months they will 
positively relieve all cases of painful menstruation 
due to a congested condition of the womb. When 
these pills fail to give absolute relief, it will be a 
sure indication that the pain is caused by a con- 
striction or narrowness of the neck of the womb. 

In such cases a rad : cal cure can be effected bv a 



PROFUSE MENSTRUATION. 167 

proper dilatation of the neck of the womb. By our 
modern methods this can be done without cutting, 
and a radical cure can be guaranteed in every case. 
When this trouble is neglected, serious diseases 
of the womb are sure to develop, sooner or later, 
and in all cases sterility or barrenness is sure to re- 
sult. 

PROFUSE MENSTRUATION. 

Profuse menstruation means an excessive flow 
of blood during each menstrual period. It may 
occur as a result of general weakness from some 
previous disease, after abortions, and when a wom- 
an gets up too soon after childbirth. It always 
exhausts the patient, and in many cases confines 
them to the bed for several days each month. 

Treatment. — During the flow, quiet in the recum- 
bent position is necessary. In the interval be- 
tween the periods, our Home Tonic Pills for 
Women should be taken and continued for two or 
three months. In the majority of cases these pills 
will effect a radical cure. When they fail, however, 
a specialist should be consulted, as an operation for 
scraping the inside of the womb, or removing some 
foreign growth may be required. 

THE VULVA. 

The Vulva is the general name given to the fe- 
male external organs of generation. These are the 
greater and lesser lips, the clitoris, and the hymen. 



l68 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

These parts are liable to inflammation from va- 
rious causes, when they become hot, painful, and 
swollen. An itching burning sensation is also 
present, and there may be a discharge from the 
parts. 

Hot applications should be made to the parts, 
and the surface bathed freely with the following: 
fluid hydrastis, one ounce; laudanum, one ounce; 
water, one pint. Mix, and apply freely every two 
hours. The patient should remain quiet in bed 
during the continuance of the inflammation. Some- 
times small tumors or lumps will develop on the 
sides of the vulva, and as soon as they are discover- 
ed a surgeon should be consulted, and they should 
be removed. 

Occasionally the edges of the vulva are grown 
together at birth, thus completely occluding the 
opening. This condition is soon recognized and 
can be remedied by the physician. In other cases 
the closure is only partial and may not be discover- 
ed till marriage, when it is found that every attempt 
to accomplish the marital act is accompanied by in- 
tense pain. This can only be relieved by a surgical 
operation, and it should be attended to as soon as 
the condition is discovered. 

Sometimes the orifice of the vagina is in a con- 
stant state of irritation, with a frequent desire to 
urinate, and severe pain and burning attending 
each passage of the urine. When such symptoms 
are present they indicate an irritation of the urethra 



INFLAMMATION OF THE VAGINA. I ()() 

or canal leading from the bladder, and an examin- 
ation will often show one or more little groups or 
tumors at the mouth of this passage. These must 
be removed before any relief can be obtained. 

INFLAMMATION OF THE VAGINA. 

Inflammation of the Vagina may result from ex- 
posure to cold, injuries of any kind, the use of cold 
water and astringent injections to prevent concep- 
tion, sexual excess, venereal poison, lack of cleanli- 
ness and childbirth. 

In such cases there is a severe itching of the va- 
gina, accompanied by heat and burning, frequent 
desire to urinate, a smarting on passing the urine, 
and aching and dragging in the vagina, and around 
the anus (back passage), pain in lower part of abdo- 
men and back, and a profuse yellowish discharge, 
with chaffing of the external parts, from the irrita- 
tion of the poisonous discharges 

Treatment. — The patient should remain in bed, 
and hot applications should be made to the vulva 
(privates) and lower part of the abdomen. The va- 
gina should be cleansed by a full injection of hot 
water with a fountain syringe. If there is much 
pain an ounce of laudanum should be added to the 
injection. These injections should be used two or 
three times daily. When the acute symptoms have 
subsided, our Home Uterine Tablets should be 
used as directed till a cure is effected. 



I70 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

INFLAMMATION OF THE WOMB. 

The womb, like other organs of the body, is liable 
to inflammation. It may affect the mucous mem- 
brane lining the womb, or it may involve all the 
structures of the womb, or may be confined to that 
part which extends into the vagina, called the neck 
of the womb. 

From exposure to cold, direct injury (as a blow 
on the abdomen), or following miscarriage or child- 
birth, an acute inflammation may develop sudden- 
ly. In such cases there is intense pain in the re- 
gion of the womb, which extends over the entire 
abdomen, burning heat in the vagina, and consid- 
erable general fever. 

A chronic inflammation may remain after an 
acute attack, or may develop gradually as the re- 
sult of some continued irritation, as excessive sex- 
ual indulgence, displacement of the womb, or lacer- 
ation of the neck of the womb. 

In these cases the patient complains of a drag- 
ging or bearing down sensation at the lower part of 
the abdomen, pain in the back and at the extreme 
end of the spine, and heaviness and dragging 
through the hips and thighs. There is also severe 
headache, especially on the top and back of the 
head; and as a rule there is considerable discharge 
from the vagina. 

Treatment. — In acute inflammation of the womb 
the patient must remain quiet in bed, and hot ap- 



ULCERATION OF THE WOMB. i;i 

plications must be made over the entire abdomen. 
Hot water douches given with a fountain syringe 
should be resorted to several times a day. To quiet 
the pain and relieve the fever our Xeurodine Tab- 
lets should be given according to directions. 
When the acute symptoms subside the treatment 
for chronic inflammation may be necessary. 

For chronic inflammation of the womb our 
Home Tonic Pills for Women should be used regu- 
larly for several months, or till all the symptoms 
above mentioned have disappeared. Warm water 
injections should be used to cleanse the vagina and 
one of our Home Uterine Tablets should be in- 
troduced, and repeated as directed on page 257. If 
this treatment is strictly followed, it will cure all 
cases that do not require surgical interference. 
Should it fail to cure, send for our " Question Blank 
for Women," and when'we receive the answers to 
the questions, we will send a diagnosis of the case. 

ULCERATION OF THE WOMB. 

Ulceration of the Womb is a sequence of inflam- 
mation, and is often met with. The inflammation 
has extended to a breaking down of the tissues of 
the organ, and the formation of an ulcer, or sore. 
The symptoms are about the same as those of 
chronic inflammation, except that there is much 
more discharge from the vagina. 

The home treatment is the same as that given 
for inflammation. When commenced as soon as the 



172 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

symptoms heretofore described are felt, the condi- 
tion will be cured before it extends to ulceration. 
In long standing cases that do not yield to the treat- 
ment, some specia\ course will be necessary. 

LACERATION OF THE NECK OF THE WOMB. 

The neck of the womb is often torn during child- 
birth, and thus keeps up a condition of chronic in- 
flammation or ulceration. Sometimes the tare is 
very slight, but again it may be half an inch or 
even an inch in length. When this accident occurs 
it keeps up all the symptoms of chronic inflamma- 
tion, in an aggravated form. The treatment above 
recommended for inflammation will relieve the 
symptoms, but will not cure them. 

As many women have lacerated wombs without 
knowing it, they should be examined if the pre- 
scribed treatment does not effect a cure in a few 
months. An operation is the only thing that will 
insure a radical cure, and the sooner it is performed 
the better it will be for the patient. 

DISPLACEMENTS OF THE WOMB. 

The womb is liable to several forms of displace- 
ment, such as falling, tilting forward or backward, 
bending forward and backward on itself. 

When these conditions are present the same 
general symptoms are felt as are present in other 
disorders of the womb. In addition, however, we 
often have a pressure on the bladder which causes 



LEUCORRHEA. j 7$ 

a frequent desire to urinate, or a pressure on the 
rectum (back passage), which prevents natural ac- 
tions of the bowels. In many cases the womb can 
be felt with the ringer, within an inch or two from 
the orifice of the vagina. In many of these cases 
coitus is painful or even impossible, and conception 
cannot take place. 

Chronic inflammation and enlargement of the 
womb are always present, and these conditions 
must be overcome by the treatment already recom- 
mended. Our Home Uterine Tablets act like a 
poultice in drawing the inflammation from the 
womb, and at the same time astringe the mucous 
surfaces, and contract the muscles of the vagina, 
thus forcing the womb up to its normal position. 
For this reason these tablets should be used for 
some time after all symptoms of inflammation have 
disappeared. 

Some cases may require a mechanical support 
before a cure is effected, and this can only be ap- 
plied by the experienced physician. No hard rub- 
ber or metal pessary should be used, and patients 
should avoid physicians who insist on such instru- 
ments being worn continuously. 

LEUCORRHEA. 

Leucorrhea, or Whites, is not a disease but a 
symptom of the several diseases of the vagina and 
womb, already described. It is a general term ap- 
plied to any discharge from the vagina, and is often 



174 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

the first symptom that attracts attention. It is fre- 
quently so profuse as to be extremely annoying, 
and any woman suffering from it will hail with de- 
light any remedy that will afford prompt relief 
from this unpleasant condition. Such a remedy is 
now within the reach of all. Our Home Uterine 
Tablets will arrest this discharge after the intro- 
duction of the first one, and will care it entirely if 
used according to directions. 

LACERATION OF THE PERINEUM. 

The perineum is the space between the vagina 
and the rectum, and it supports the vagina, womb, 
bladder, and rectum, in their normal position. It 
is often torn through during childbirth and if not 
properly attended to at the time it remains open, 
and thus removes the natural support from the or- 
gans named. As a result we have all the symptoms 
of inflammation and falling of the womb, and the 
woman soon becomes a confirmed invalid. 

The only relief in such cases is to be had from 
an operation. When properly performed the parts 
are restored to their normal position, and all in- 
flammation can then be readily overcome. 

HYSTERIA. 

Hysteria, or Hysterics, is a nervous condition to 
which women suffering from womb troubles are 
often liable. It i^ usually marked by extreme irri- 
tability of the nervous system, with mental depres- 



ABSENCE OF CONJUGAL DESIRE. 1 75 

sion. There is often a sensation of a lump in the 
throat, with muscular twitchings, which sometimes 
extend to extreme rigidity with partial loss of con- 
sciousness. At one moment the patient will laugh 
inordinately and will cry the next, without any 
apparent cause. 

In all such cases the local conditions should be 
seen to, and the general system should be built up 
by the continued use of our Home Tonic Pills 
for Women. 

ABSENCE OF CONJUGAL DESIRE. 

It often happens that women who have suffered 
from diseases of the womb lose all desire for the 
conjugal act, and rarely have any enjoyment there- 
from. When such a condition exists in those who 
have previously enjoyed such relations, it indicates 
some diseased condition of the generative organs, 
which can invariably be corrected. A physician 
should be consulted, and the patient should confide 
in him implicitly to insure a correction of the 
difficulty. 

Some women have never enjoyed the marital act 
and are skeptical about their sisters doing so. In 
these cases there is usually some physical defect, 
either on her own part or on the part of the hus- 
band. It seldom happens that these conditions 
cannot be corrected, but a complete history of both 
husband and wife, as well as physical examinations 



176 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

are necessary to ascertain the cause or causes, and 
remedy the defect. 

STERILITY, OR BARRENNESS. 

All healthy women should be capable of bearing 
children, and yet thousands go through life longing 
for offspring who think themselves doomed to bar- 
renness. 

There is always some recognizable cause for 
sterility in women, and it can almost invariably be 
corrected. Usually it can be traced to some disease 
or displacement of the womb, but in some cases the 
cause is a physiological one. 

Consult an experienced physician and be guided 
by his advice, and a remedy for sterility can almost 
invariably be found. 

TUMORS. 

The womb and ovaries are frequently the seat of 
abnormal growths, or tumors. Those involving the 
womb are often attended by profuse flooding at 
every monthly period, and those of the ovaries us- 
ually attain a large size in a short time. 

As soon as any indication of enlargement of the 
abdomen, or filling up of the vagina is manifest, a 
surgeon should be consulted, and the tumor should 
be removed at the earliest possible moment. 



A Cancer is a malignant tumor, which is always 
certain to prove fatal in periods ranging from six 



CANCER. I77 

months to two years, if not properly treated. It 
occurs most frequently in the breast and the womb. 
In the breast a hard lump forms, which gradually 
increases in size and soon causes a darting, shoot- 
ing pain. A lump in the breast should always be 
regarded with suspicion, and as soon as it appears 
a surgeon should be consulted. 

In the womb a cancer is attended with darting 
pains, frequent bleeding, and a very offensive dis- 
charge. 

It is now generally conceded that cancer is at 
first a local disease, which becomes constitutional 
after the tumor has broken down so that the poison 
can be absorbed with the blood. 

In genuine cancers, the treatment by plasters 
and caustics is never successful. The only rational 
and sure cure is an early removal of the diseased 
part, by a surgical operation. We have many 
cases where the patients are now enjoying perfect 
health fifteen and twenty years after the operation. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

The Eye and Its Disorders. 

Care of the Eyes — Defects of Vision — The Use 
of Spectacles — Diseases of the Lids — Weep- 
ing, or Watery, Eyes — Cross-Eye — Conjunc- 
tivitis — Granular Lids — Ulceration of the 
Cornea — Opacity of the Cornea — Iritis — 
Cataract — Glaucoma — Amaurosis. 

The eye is one of the most important organs c* 
the body and through it, as the special organ of 
sight we receive much of our knowledge of the 
beauties of nature and the condition of things 
around us. 

It is withal the most perfect of optical instru- 
ments, but its functions are easily impaired or de- 
stroyed by any violation of natural laws. 

It is seldom that people are born blind; but 
blindness is invariably due to abuse of the eyes 
by overwork and neglect, or improper treatment of 
the several diseases and injuries of the eye. 

Every one should know how to use the eyes 
without abusing them, and should be able to deter- 
mine for himself when there is need to use glasses; 
and should also know enough of the nature of the 



THE CARE OF THE EYES. 1 79 

several diseases and deformities of the eye, to re- 
alize the importance of consulting an oculist at the 
earliest possible moment. Only a few brief sug- 
gestions on this important subject can be offered 
in this manual, but it is to be hoped that these will 
be heeded, and prove of value to many of our 
readers. 

THE CARE OF THE EYES. 

The care of the eyes should begin with the new- 
born babe. Carelessness in properly cleansing the 
eyes immediately after birth often results in severe 
inflammation which either destroys the sight in a 
few days or weeks, or entails a life time of suffering 
from weakness and defect of vision. 

Reading on cars or in a dim light should be 
avoided. The constant motion of tl-*4 cars keeps 
the book or pap^r jaring continuously, thus taxing 
the eye to ke« p the proper focus, while the lack of 
sufficient light causes the eyes to make extra efforts 
to concentrate the vision. 

The back or side should be toward the light 
while reading or doing any close work. This lights 
up the print or work, and does not allow too much 
light to enter the eye, and thus contract the pupils. 

Never rub the eyes when dust or cinders get 
into them. Instead, close the eyes for a few mor 
ments, when the accumulated tears will wash the 
foreign bodies toward the nose, when they can be 
easily removed with a soft handkerchief or brush 



i 



I So THE HOME DOCTOR. 

pressed into the inner corner of the eye and carried 
toward the nose. 

If hard substances, as pieces of steel, iron, or 
glass, are imbedded in the structures of the eye, 
motion should be prevented by means of a com- 
press and bandage applied to the eye till a compe- 
tent surgeon can be sent for. 

When any caustic or burning substance, such as 
lime, cinders, acids, etc., gets into the eye, the lid 
should be held open and sweet olive oil or vaseline 
should be applied till an experienced surgeon can 
be consulted. 

When the eye is injured in any way light should 
be excluded and motion prevented, by applying a 
loose bandage, till the surgeon arrives. 

The eyes should never be used in reading or 
close work after a tired or strained feeling of the 
eyes is observed. 

Whenever any defect of vision is recognized an 
oculist should be consulted with the view of having 
normal vision restored by properly adjusted spec- 
tacles. 

DEFECTS OF VISION. 

The several defects of vision are caused by 
changes in the shape of the eyeballs or the inability 
of the muscles to concentrate the eyes to a proper 
focus. These defects are known as myopia or near 
sight, hypermetropia or oversight, presbyopia or 
old sight, and astigmatism or irregular sight. 



DEFECTS OF VISION. l8l 

Myopia necessitates the bringing of all objects 
close to the eye to secure good vision. If this type 
cannot be seen till it is closer than eight inches to 
the eyes, the person must be near sighted. As soon 
as this condition is recognized in children, they 
should be examined, and have properly adjusted 
concave glasses to restore normal vision. This 
done and the eyes will increase in strength, and 
during early manhood the glasses may be entirely 
left aside. 

Hypermetropia, or oversight, requires a constant 
straining effort to secure good vision, at normal 
distances; and this print must be carried farther 
than twelve inches from the eye to be seen distinct- 
ly. When used the eyes soon become tired and the 
vision blurred, and pain is felt in the balls of the 
eyes, and through the forehead. Convex glasses 
will entirely restore normal vision for both near 
and distant objects, and they should be worn as 
soon as any eye strain is felt. 

Presbyopia, or old sight, always appears as age 
advances. It is manifested by a disposition to 
carry print farther from the eye than usual to 
secure good vision. When the sight begins to 
show a weakening in this way, convex glasses 
should be resorted to at once for reading or any 
close work. The longer the use of glasses is de- 
layed, the weaker the eyes become, and thus much 
stronger glasses will be required to restore the 
vision. 



182 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

Astigmatism, or irregular sight, is caused by 
irregularities in the shape of the globe of the eye, 
and thus an irregular image is formed in the eye, 
which causes a defect of vision. This condition 
may escape notice for a long time, and when rec- 
ognized it is often found that the patient had never 
been able to see distinctly. It sometimes exists by 
itself, but is often present with near sight and over- 
sight 

These conditions require spectacles made spe- 
cially for each case to restore normal vision. 

THE USE OF SPECTACLES. 

Many defects of vision exist from birth which 
require the use of spectacles. Others are caused 
by over taxation of the eye, by local injuries, and 
as the result of disease. Again normal vision be- 
gins to fail in most persons between the ages of 
thirty-five and fifty. Whatever may be the cause 
or the conditions present, all persons who find their 
vision defective should endeavor to correct the 
same by the proper use of glasses. Putting off the 
use of glasses as long as possible always does harm. 
They should be resorted to on the first indication of 
failing sight. 

The following suggestions should be remembered 
by those whose sight is in any way defective. 

First. — As soon as it is necessary to hold ordi- 
nary print further from the eyes than formerly an • 



DISEASES OF THE EYELIDS. 183 

oculist should be consulted with the view of having 
glasses properly adjusted. 

Second. — At first the glasses need only be used 
while reading or working by an artificial light. 

Third. — If glasses magnify the letters when first 
worn they are two strong and should not be used. 

Fourth. — Never buy cheap glasses, from pedlers 
or dry-goods stores, as they will do harm instead 
of good. 

Fifth. — In old sight the glasses used for reading 
should never be used for distant vision. 

Sixth. — A single eye-glass should never be used. 

Seventh. — Spectacle frames should always be 
used instead of eye-glasses for any kind of con- 
tinuous work requiring the constant use of the 
eyes. 

DISEASES OF THE LIDS. 

The eyelids are often the seat of disease and de- 
formities which occasion great annoyance even 
when they do not injure the sight. 

Small bunches or tumors sometimes form on the 
eyelids. They are caused by an obstruction of the 
minute ducts that open on the margin of the lids 
and supply a lubricant to the eyelashes. This 
causes the natural secretion to accumulate in the 
gland, thus forming the tumor. 

Sometimes these little lumps will disappear by 
rubbing them with the finger several times a day; 
but if they do not, the sack containing the accumu- 



184 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

lation should be removed by making an opening 
on the inside of the lid. 

Small pustules, or boils, often form on the mar- 
gin of the lid, and are popularly known as "stys." 
They commence as a small inflamed spot and grad- 
ually pus or matter is formed. When they occur 
they should be opened with a new needle that has 
been previously washed in boiling water, and then 
the matter can be gently pressed out. In ordinary 
cases no further treatment is necessary; but when 
one sty follows another in rapid succession, our 
Home Sarsaparilla Pills should be used to purify 
the blood. 

When the eyelashes are bent in so as to press 
against the ball of the eye, or when there is a 
double row of lashes, the eye is kept in a constant 
state of inflammation. 

Pulling out the inverted lashes by the roots with 
a pair of pliers will give temporary relief, but a 
specialist should be consulted for a complete cure. 

Sometimes the lid is turned outward so that its 
inner surface is exposed to view, and again the lid 
is turned in so that the lashes and skin rest against 
the ball of the eye. In both these conditions an 
oculist should be consulted at once, as the eye will 
become permanently injured if the deformity is not 
corrected. 

Drooping of the eyelid is a condition of paralysis 
of the upper lid which makes it impossible to raise 
the lid by voluntary effort. This can be relieved 



CROSS-EYE. 185 

by a simple operation, which should be performed 
as soon as possible, in order to preserve the sight. 

WEEPING, OR WATERY, EYES. 

This is a condition where there is an obstruction 
in the canal that carries the tears from the eye to 
the cavity of the nose. This causes the tears to 
accumulate in the inner corner of the eye till they 
flow over the margin of the lower lid and down the 
cheeks. Sometimes an abscess will form between 
the angle of the eye and the nose. If neglected 
this condition soon weakens the eye and dims the 
vision. 

A simple operation is necessary to relieve the 
obstruction, but to insure the success of the opera- 
tions probes must be inserted daily for some time, 
to dilate the canal and prevent it from closing 
again. 

CROSS-EYE. 

By Cross-eye is meant a turning in or out of one 
or both eyes in such a manner as to prevent the use 
of both eyes in looking at an object. It is usually 
acquired during infancy by placing the child so 
that it can only see with one eye; but is frequently 
caused by the nervous irritation which accompanies 
teething, whooping cough, measles, scarlet fever, 
and convulsions. 

To correct this deformity a simple operation is 
required, and it should be performed as soon as 



1 86 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

possible after the condition is noticed. If delayed 
the vision of one or both eyes is liable to be im- 
paired. 

CONJUNCTIVITIS. 

Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of a thin mem- 
brane that covers the ball of the eye and lines the 
eye lids. It is commonly called an inflamed eye. 

It may result from cold, slight injury, the pres- 
ence in the eye of foreign bodies, and the contact 
of poisonous matter. 

The eye becomes red and swollen, the flow of 
tears is increased, and it becomes intolerant of 
light. 

Treatment. — If there is any foreign body in the 
eye it should be removed at once, and the eye 
should be bathed in water as hot as can be borne. 
Then one of our Home Eye Tablets should be 
dissolved in an eye-bath full of tepid water, and the 
eye should be thoroughly bathed with this three or 
four times a day. This treatment will also radically 
cure all cases of chronically inflamed eyes, where 
no granulation of the lids is present. 

GRANULATED LIDS. 

Granulated lids is a condition of chronic inflam- 
mation of the conjunctivita. The lids are very 
much thickened and their under surfaces are cov- 
ered by minute little elevations, called granulations, 
which become hard and cause an irritation of the 
front part of the ball of the eye, which is called the 



OPACITY OF THE CORNEA. 187 

cornea. If this condition is neglected it soon causes 
a loss of sight. 

In these and all long-standing inflammations of 
the eyes, the patient should place himself under the 
personal care of an experienced surgeon. 

ULCERATION OF THE CORNEA. 

The cornea is the clear, transparent front part of 
the eye, through which the light passes to the inte- 
rior of the eye. 

It is sometimes the seat of inflammation which 
may extend to ulceration. This is an eating into 
the tissues of the cornea, and if neglected it may 
penetrate the cornea, and thus destroy the sight. 

All these cases require the constant care of the 
surgeon, and home treatment should not be at- 
tempted. 

OPACITY OF THE CORNEA. 

This is a condition resulting from inflammation 
and ulceration of the cornea. It begins by a hazy 
film forming over the outer surface of the cornea, 
which dims the vision. This gradually increases 
till a thick white film covers the entire front of the 
eye, and totally destroys the sight. It is sometimes 
spoken of as "external cataract," and it is even 
confounded with cataract. 

The majority of cases of opacity of the cornea 
can be cured if properly treated; but the treatment 



188 THE HOME DOCTOR, 

must be under the immediate supervision of a 
surgeon. 

IRITIS. 

The iris is the dark circular membrane that sur- 
rounds the pupil. 

It is liable to inflammation which is called Iritis. 
When it occurs there is considerable pain in the 
eye, and the pupil becomes irregular in shape, and 
after a time it may be entirely obliterated, thus de- 
stroying the sight. This disease should be treated 
by an experienced surgeon, and even when sight is 
lost, it can be restored by an operation. 

CATARACT. 

By Cataract is meant an opacity of a small body 
in the interior of the eye, called the crystalline lens, 
or of a thin membrane which covers it. This lens 
plays an important part in the production of vision, 
as it brings the rays of light to a focus on the retina, 
to produce the image of the object looked at in the 
eye. 

This lens is transparent, like glass, but in this 
disease it becomes clouded and finally perfectly 
white or yellowish, so as to exclude light entirely. 

An operation is the only means of restoring 
sight in cases of cataract. This consists in remov- 
ing the opaque lens from the eye, and after the eye 
has entirely healed, the defect is supplied by pow- 
erful convex glasses. The operation should be 



GLAUCOMA — AMAUROSIS. I St) 

performed as soon as vision is destroyed, and none 
but an experienced surgeon should undertake it. 

GLAUCOMA. 

This is an inflammatory condition that involves 
all the tissues and contents of the eyeball. It pro- 
gresses rapidly, and soon completely destroys the 
sight. It is recognized by a' sense of fullness and 
pressure of the eye, which feels as if the ball would 
burst. An operation, if performed in time, will 
sometimes save the sight. 

AMAUROSIS. 

This term indicates a gradual loss of sight, and 
usually comes on after diseases of the brain or 
nervous prostration. It is due to some impairment 
of the functions of the optic nerve, and as a lule 
it is not amenable to treatment. 






CHAPTER XIV. 

The Ear and Its Disorders. 

Care of the Ears — Malformations and Injuries 
of the Ears — Accumulation of Wax — Ab- 
scess — Polypus — Deafness. 

The ear is the organ of the special sense of hear- 
ing, and is described by anatomists as being divided 
into the external, middle, and internal ear. The 
broad expansion on the side of the head, which is 
commonly called the ear, serves to collect the vi- 
brations of the atmosphere and convey them to the 
opening of the canal that leads to the " drum of the 
ear." This canal is called the external auditory 
canal, and that with the broad expansion constitutes 
the extei'iial ear. 

The inner terminus of this canal is closed by a 
thin movable membrane called the "drum of the 
ear," the movements of which play an important 
part in the production of sound. 

The middle ear is a small chamber situated in 
the temporal bone, which contains a little chain of 
three small bones which move upon each other 
when pressed on by the 4< drum of the ear," and 



CARE OF THE EARS. I9I 

thus convey a vibration to the internal ear. The 
middle ear in health contains air, which enters it 
through a canal leading from the throat, called the 
eustachian tube. 

The internal ear is composed of a number of 
canals and shell-like cavities, on the inner surfaces 
of which are distributed the minute filaments of the 
auditory nerve — the special nerve of hearing. 

When sound is produced, the waves of air strike 
the " drum of the ear " and press it inward so as to 
move the chain of bones in the middle ear. The 
third bone moves upon the opening of the internal 
ear, and causes a motion of the liquid it contains. 
This motion is received by the filaments of the au- 
ditory nerve and is then conveyed to the brain, 
where it produces a sensation called sound. 

It is necessary that the eustachian tube should 
be free to admit air to the middle ear, for otherwise 
the "drum" would not move, and no sound could 
be produced. 

Any disturbance of the normal condition of these 
parts causes an impairment or entire loss of hear- 
ing. It is therefore important that every person 
should know how to care for the ear so as to pre- 
vent deafness. 

CARE OF THE EARS. 

A perfectly healthy ear requires no special care. 
The wax dries up in thin scales and comes away 
gradually and imperceptibly, while all attempts to 



I92 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

keep the ear clean with brushes, ear sponges, etc., 
will certainly do harm. 

It will be well to observe the following simple 
rules, in order to keep the ears in a healthy state. 

First. — Avoid washing the ears with soap and 
water, or using brushes, sponges, or a screwed-up 
corner of a towel; but cleans it while washing, only 
as far as can be reached with the finger. 

Second. — Never use earpicks or pins, as they al- 
ways cause irritation. 

Third. — Do not, as a rule, cover the ears in cold 
weather, except when exposed to a severe storm. 

Fourth. — When slight deafness accompanies a 
severe cold, it indicates a closure of the eustachian 
tube at its orifice in the throat, and efforts should 
be made at once to reduce the inflammation and 
soreness of the throat. 

Fifth. — The constant dropping into the ear of 
strong medicines, oils, or glycerine, should be 
avoided unless recommended by a competent sur- 
geon. 

Sixth. — Parents should never strike a child on 
the ear or head, as such violence may rupture the 
'■' drum of the ear" and cause deafness. 

Seventh. — When a child complains of pain in the 
ears it should be seen to at once; and, in the absence 
of advice from a physician, hot applications to 
the external ear should be used till the doctor 
comes. 

Eighth, — Discharges from the ear after scarlet 



ACCUMULATION OF WAX. I93 

fever, measles, etc., should be attended to at once, 
as permanent deafness may result from neglect. 

Ninth. — When insects or any foreign bodies get 
into the ear, they can be removed by injecting 
warm water, with a common ear syringe; but ear- 
picks and forcepts should never be used. 

Tenth. — Cold water should never be introduced 
into the ear. While bathing the ear should be pro- 
tected by filling the external opening with cotton 
before going into the water. 

MALFORMATION AND INJURIES. 

Malformations of the external ear are often 
present at birth, and the ear may be wounded by 
blows, and torn by wearing heavy ear-rings. These 
conditions require the attention of a surgeon, and 
simple operations can be performed to entirely cor- 
rect these conditions. 

ACCUMULATION OF WAX. 

Sometimes there is an excessive secretion of wax 
in the ear, which accumulates in a hard lump and 
finally fills the entire external auditory canal. 

This gives rise to noises in the head, dizziness, 
deafness, and inflammation of the canal. 

A surgeon should be consulted for the removal 
of this wax and the treatment of the inflamed 
canal, and above all the use of pins and earpricks 



194 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

must be avoided, or injury of the ear may be 
caused. 

ABSCESS OF THE EAR. 

Abscesses often form in the ears, as a result of 
inflammation caused by taking cold or injury to 
the ear. They are very painful while the condition 
lasts, but are not dangerous. The pain is of a deep- 
seated beating, throbbing character, and it may 
extend to the entire side of the face. It subsides, 
however, as soon as pus (matter) forms, and stops 
entirely when the abscess breaks. While it lasts 
the hearing is impaired. 

Hot fomentations of hops or hot poultices should 
be applied to the ear till a physician can be sent 
for. It is always best that the doctor should open 
the abscess as soon as the throbbing pain is felt, as 
a free incision relieves the congested part and cuts 
short the suffering. 



A Polypus is a small tumor that develops in the 
external canal, and so fills it up that deafness is 
produced. 

When a polypus is present there is an offensive 
discharge from the ear, noises in the head, and 
sometimes severe pain. If the ear is examined, in 
a good light, the polypus can be seen like a small 
fleshy body filling up the canal. 



DEAFNESS Ig5 

In all such cases a surgeon should be consulted, 
and the polypus should be removed at once, as it is 
liable to destroy the " drum of the ear," and thus 
cause permanent deafness. 

DEAFNESS. 

Deafness may result from a great variety of 
causes, and a careful examination by an experi- 
enced surgeon is necessary for a correct diagnoses. 
In all cases, except those where the optic nerve is 
paralyzed or the " drum " is destroyed, the hearing 
can be improved or entirely restored, and even 
these cases can be benefitted. 

No case of deafness should be long neglected, 
but a surgeon should be consulted, and the cause 
removed at the earliest possible moment. 



/■ 

«% 



CHAPTER XV. 

Surgical Diseases and Accidents. 

Piles — Fistula of the Anus — Fissure of the 
Anus — Hernia, or Rupture — Varicose Veins 
— Ingrown Toe Nails — Diseases of the 
Bones — Fractures — Sprains — Dislocations 
— Diseases of the Joints — Spinal Deformi- 
ties — Knock Knee — Bowed Legs — Club 
Foot — Ulcers — Tumors — Cancers. 

A description of the several surgical diseases 
and accidents would fill many large volumes; and 
brief references to a few of them are given here 
only with the hope that sufferers may recognize the 
conditions early, and thus be ennabled to obtain 
relief before the more serious complications are de- 
veloped. 

PILES. 

Hemorrhoids, or piles, is an enlarged condition 
of the veins of the rectum, caused by constipation, 
torpid liver, exposure to cold, the pressure of a dis- 
placed womb, rectal tumors, continued diarrhea, 
and the action of powerful purgative medicines. 

This condition rarely develops before the age of 



PILES. 197 

puberty, but is very common among adults of both 
sexes. It is estimated that one person in ten suffers 
from some form of piles. 

There are two varieties of the disease, viz., ex- 
ternal and internal piles. 

The external pile begins as a lump at the verge 
of the anus, which rapidly fills with blood, and be- 
comes hard and painful. It can be felt with the 
finger, and presents a bluish appearance. 

The internal pile is situated inside of the bowel, 
and begins with an itching burning sensation, and 
a feeling of fullness and weight in the rectum. 
Pain is felt with every action of the bowels, and 
sometimes the passage is seriously obstructed. 
Bleeding will often occur with each movement of 
the bowels, and then the condition is spoken of as 
bleeding piles. 

When the enlargement attains a considerable 
size, the pile is forced through the constricting 
muscles, and protrudes beyond the anus, and is 
then called protruding piles. When this condition 
occurs, the muscles often contract so as to constrict 
the protruding mass, thus occasioning marked 
swelling and intense pain. 

Only one tumor appears in some cases, while in 
others there may be a cluster of three or four. 

Treatment. — The external pile is the most speedily 
relieved by having a surgeon open the vein and 
squeeze out the clotted blood. This gives immedi- 
ate relief, while the application of our Home Pile 



ig3 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

Ointment will rapidly heal the part and contract the 
vein, so as to prevent a recurrence of the trouble. 

Internal piles may be paliated or relieved by 
bathing the parts in hot water, and applying our 
Home Pile Ointment, well up the rectum with 
the finger, two or three times a day. The bowels 
must be kept regular by the use of our Home 
Liver Pills, and the patient should keep off his feet 
for a few days as much as possible. When a person 
has once had an attack of piles he is almost certain 
to have a recurrence at some time, and each attack 
is likely to be more severe than the preceeding 
ones. When they once begin to protrude they are 
certain to occasion great annoyance, and the only 
sure relief is an operation for a radical cure. 

There are several methods of operating on piles, 
but none but an experienced surgeon should be 
trusted to operate. We have operated on thousands 
of cases during the past thirty year? without a single 
failure. To those desiring information regarding 
our method of treatment, we will send full particu- 
lars on receipt of a full description of their cases. 

FISTULA OF THE ANUS 

A fistula of the anus is an unnatural canal that 
extends up some distance by the side of the rectum, 
and almost constantly discharges matter. It may 
open through the skin and into the bowel, when it 
is called a complete fistula; it may open through the 
skin only, when it is called an external blind fistula; 



FISSURE OF THE ANUS. 1 99 

or it may open into the bowel alone, when it is called 
an internal blind fistula. 

It may be caused by an abscess near the anus, 
or by an ulceration of the rectum eating through 
the coats of the bowels into the surrounding 
tissue. 

There is always a discharge of matter either 
from the bowel or the external opening, but at 
times it may be very slight, and then again very 
profuse. There is a feeling of tenderness and sore- 
ness about the part, and sometimes sharp pains. 

An operation is the only means by which a cure 
can be effected, and the sooner this is performed 
the better for the patient. A radical cure can al- 
ways be guaranteed when a proper operation is 
performed. 

FISSURE OF THE ANUS. 

A fissure of the anus is a crack or split in the 
mucous surface, extending from inside the bowel 
downward beyond the verge of the anus. It soon 
assumes the appearance of an ulcer, from which an 
acrid discharge is thrown off, which irritates and 
chafes the surrounding parts. Each passage from 
the bowels causes a stretching and scratching sen- 
sation, which will soon arrest the normal action, 
and cause constipation. 

This is another condition that requires the atten- 
tion of a surgeon, as an operation is the only thing 
that will insure a radical cure. 



200 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

HERNIA, OR RUPTURE. 

Hernia, or Rupture, as generally used, means a 
protrusion of a fold of the bowel through a weak 
point in the walls of the abdomen. It occurs in 
both sexes, and it is claimed that one person in 
seven is affected by it. 

If left protruding it is liable, at any time, to be- 
come inflamed and cause death. It is, therefore, 
necessary to force the protruding bowel back to its 
place, and prevent it from coming out again. The 
usual means of accomplishing this is by wearing a 
truss, which is so constructed as to keep up suffi- 
cient pressure at the weak point, to prevent the 
bowel from protruding. 

Many persons, however, find it difficult to get a 
truss that will hold up the rupture, while most peo- 
ple find the truss very uncomfortable. 

Modern surgery has come to the aid of such suf- 
ferers, and now an operation can be performed 
that will insure a radical cure in uvo or three 
weeks. Full particulars of the operation will be 
sent on application. 

VARICOSE VEINS. 

By Varicose Veins is meant an enlarged and 
twisted condition of the veins of the extremities. 
Such conditions are accompanied by a feeling of 
weight of the extremities, with more or less pain, 
after any exertion. 

The use of elastic stockings will give support to 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 2QI 

the part and afford considerable comfort, but an 
operation is necessary for a cure. 

INGROWN TOE NAILS. 

This is a condition where the side of the toe nail 
grows down into the flesh, thus causing an irrita- 
tion, which often extends to inflammation and ul- 
ceration. It seldom involves any but the great toes, 
and usually occasions much suffering. 

If the ingrowing side of the nail is carefully 
raised up and cut off with a sharp pair of scissors 
or knife, and then a piece of cotton saturated with 
a solution of persulphate of iron crowded under the 
edge, great relief is obtained at once. The applica- 
tion of the iron on the cotton can be repeated every 
two or three days, till the edge of the nail seems 
dry and shrivelled. The growth of the nail will be 
arrested in this way and a cure is effected. 

If this cannot be done, a simple operation can 
be performed which will permanently relieve the 
trouble. 

DISEASES OF THE BONES. 

The bones are liable to inflammation, ulceration, 
and death, as a result of injuries and constitutional 
defects. The parts affected become hot, swollen, 
and painful, and the use of the extremity involved 
is seriously impaired. After a time, matter forms 
and openings along the bone are produced for its 
escape. If this does not occur blood-poisoning may 



202 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

result. If neglected these openings will continue 
to discharge unhealthy matter, mixed with small 
pieces of bone, and will permanently destroy the 
usefulness of the limb. 

Such cases should never be neglected but should 
be placed under the care of an experienced surgeon. 
The proper operation will arrest the further destruc- 
tion of the bone, and favor the production of new 
bone. 

FRACTURES. 

Fractures, or broken bones, are so easily recog- 
nized as the result of injuries, that no description 
of them is necessary. It is always important that 
the existence of a fracture should be recognized as 
soon as it occurs, and that the bones should be 
properly adjusted and held in position till a union 
has taken place. With this end in view a surgeon 
should be sent for at once, and when the dressings 
are once applied, neither the patient nor his friends 
should interfere with them. 

SPRAINS. 

A sprain is a wrench or twist of a joint by which 
the ligaments are stretched or torn, without a frac- 
ture or dislocation. 

A severe sprain is often more annoying than a 
fracture, and the person suffering from one should 
at once desist from using the injured joint. 

If it can be attended *o before inflammation sen 



DISEASES OF THE JOINTS. 203 

in, cold applications will be found very serviceable. 
If, however, some hours have elapsed before any- 
thing is done, hot applications, as hot fomentations 
of hops will serve the best purpose. Absolute rest 
of the injured joint is imperative, and when an at- 
tempt is made to use it, after all inflammation and 
swelling have subsided, a tight bandage should be 
applied to give the support, 

DISLOCATIONS. 

By dislocation is meant a forcible separation of 
the bones that form a joint. It is always produced 
by violence of some kind; and whenever a joint is 
injured a competent surgeon should be sent for, so 
that the displacement can be recognized and over- 
come before inflammation and swelling set in. 

DISEASES OF THE JOINTS. 

The several joints of the body are liable to be af- 
fected by inflammation, which may be confined to 
a particular part or may involve all the structures 
of the joint. 

The inflammation may come on suddenly, 
when it is attended by pain, heat, redness, and 
swelling of the joints; or it may develop gradually 
and even escape notice for a considerable time after 
the disease has set in. It may result from a direct 
local injury, from exposure to cold or damp, and 
from blood poisoning. 

As soon as a joint becomes painful and begins 



2C4 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

to swell it should be kept entirely quiet, and a sur- 
geon should be sent for. 

When the inflammation assumes a chronic form, 
the tissues of the joint may be entirely destroyed, 
and deformity and permanent stiffness may result. 
For this reason proper treatment must be had as 
soon as possible, so as to insure the extension and 
fixation of the joint, which will alone insure a radi- 
cal cure. 

In many cases of hip-joint disease, the first 
symptoms are a slight stiffness of the joint, a dis- 
position to stand on one foot, a limping gait, pain 
on the inner side of the knee, and tenderness on 
pressure over the joint. When these symptoms 
are noticed, especially in a child, the patient 
should be placed on his back with the legs extend- 
ed. Then a quick blow is made on the sole of the 
foot, with sufficient force to mow- the entire leg. 
If sharp pain is felt in the hip joint, it will be a 
sure indication that the joint is affected, and it 
should be attended to without delay. 

When a severe inflammation sets in from the 
start in this joint, it is liable to run its course rap- 
idly, and result in the formation of matter and the 
destruction of the head of the bone in a very short 
Lime. 

In all such cases a surgeon should be consulted 
without delay. 

Anchylosis, or stiffness of a joint, is liable to re- 
sult from any inflammatory condition, and if the 



SPINAL DEFORMITIES. 205 

joint is not properly moved in time, the stiffness 
may become permanent and thus destroy the use- 
fulness of the limb. 

When such stiffness exists, the proper treatment 
will restore the motion in the majority of cases; but 
only a skillful surgeon should be intrusted with the 
case. 

SPINAL DEFORMITIES. 

As a result of injury, constitutional weakness, 
and unnatural positions in sitting, children fre- 
quently develop deformities of the spinal column, 
or back bone. 

When the bodies of the bones of the spine are 
diseased and the weight of the upper part of the 
body causes a backward curving of the spine, it is 
called Pott's disease, or backward curvature, and 
when the spine is twisted sideways it is called 
lateral curvature. 

Whichever condition develops, a pronounced de- 
formity is soon produced, which keeps increasing, 
so as to prevent the child from growing tall, and 
often results in death. 

When the proper treatment is neglected protrud- 
ing shoulders and back are the result, and the 
patient goes through life crippled and deformed. 

These cases were formerly treated by steel 
braces, with thumb screws and springs to press 
upon the protruding parts. Such appliances do 
more harm than good, and should never be worn. 



200 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

The proper treatment consists of extending the 
spine, so as to lift the weight of the body off the 
deformed spine, and then app'ying something to 
support this weight off the diseased bones. This is 
best done by the application of the plaster of Paris 
jacket. When properly applied it gives immediate 
relief, can be worn with comfort, and is certain to 
result in a radical cure in the hands of a:: experi- 
enced ~^rgeon. 

We have treated hundreds of cases, oi all varie- 
ties, of spinal troubles by this method and have 
never failed of a cure when the patients have fol- 
lowed directions. The treatment requires great 
patience and care on the pait of the surgeon, and 
persistence on the part of the patient. 

KNOCK KNEE. 

By Knock Knee is meant a spreading apart of 
the legs below the knee, and a knocking of the 
knees against each other while walking. It is a 
deformity of early childhood, which becomes a 
serious deformity if neglected. 

As soon as the condition is noticed a surgeon 
should be consulted and a proper instrument should 
be applied to overcome the deformity before the 
bones become hardened. 

bowed i .: 

Bowed Legs result from a bending outwards of 
the legs so that the knees are far apart, and the 



CLUB FOOT— ULCERS. 207 

legs are arched like a bow. The condition is gen- 
erally caused by allowing children to stand before 
the bones of the legs have become sufficiently hard- 
ened to support the weight of the body. 

This deformity should be corrected in childhood, 
and can be readily done by the application of the 
proper apparatus. 

CLUB FOOT. 

Club Foot is a deformity in which the foot is 
drawn from its natural position by muscular con- 
traction. It is usually present at birth though it 
may sometimes be produced, during childhood, by 
injury to some of the muscles of the foot. There 
are several varieties of club foot and, if not correct- 
ed before the child begins to walk, a permanent 
deformity is sure to result The necessary opera- 
tion is certain to overcome the difficulty, if properly 
performed and followed by the use of proper appli- 
ances to keep the foot in its normal position. 

ULCERS. 

An ulcer is an open sore where the skin and un- 
derlaying tissues have been destroyed as a result of 
severe inflammation. When it first develops and 
pain, heat and redness, are present, it is called an 
acute ulcer; but when it is of long standing, and 
the skin surrounding it assumes a dark purple col- 
or, and resists the usual efforts to heal, it is called 
a chronic ulcer, 



208 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

Old ulcers are more frequently met with on the 
legs, below the knees, than anywhere else, but they 
may occur on any part of the body. They usually 
discharge an unhealthy pus, and cause the patient 
much annoyance. 

Many people have an idea that an old ulcer 
should not be healed, as they think it is intended to 
remove impurities from the body, which would be 
deposited elsewhere if the ulcer is healed. It is 
needless to say that this is an old fogy idea which 
has no foundation in fact. Any person suffering 
from an old ulcer should consult a surgeon at once, 
and when the proper treatment is employed, even 
the worst cases can be cured in a short time. The 
part must first be stimulated by hot poultices for 
two or three days, and then antiseptic dressings 
should be employed, and the patient must keep en- 
tirely quiet, as motion always retards the healing 
process. 

TUMORS. 

Tumors are abnormal growths, and may be en- 
tirely new formations or excessive development of 
the structures of any part or organ of the body. 
They vary in size and shape according to their 
character and location. Some are not larger than 
a grain of wheat, while others attain enormous pro- 
portions. 

Surgical writers divide tumors into two general 
classes, viz., benign and malignant. A benign 



CANXERS. 20Q 

tumor is one that does not disturb the general 
health or endanger life, except when it attains a 
size that will cause pressure on some important 
vessel or organ, while a malignant tumor is one 
that will of itself cause death in a short time. The 
latter form of tumors are popularly called cancers, 
and will be described below. 

There are a number of varieties of benign tu- 
mors, the more common being, fatty, encysted, 
fibrous, and bony. When they occur they are usu- 
ally situated where they produce deformity or cause 
inconvenience; and as soon as recognized, a surgeon 
should be consulted with the view of removal, 
especially if they show a tendency to grow rapidly. 

CANCERS. 

Cancers are more properly called malignant tu- 
mors. They may occur in any portion of the body, 
but are more frequently met with in the female 
breast and womb. See page 176. 

There are several varieties of cancer, the more 
common being scirrhus or hard cancer; encephel- 
oid or soft cancer, and epithelial cancer. 

The hard cancer begins as a hard lump, which 
soon develops darting, shooting pains. They are 
movable at first but gradually become adherent to 
the surrounding tissues. The glands next become 
involved and the blood becomes poisoned, and 
death ensues in from eighteen months to two years. 

Soft cancer develops more rapidly, has less pain, 



2IO THE HOME DOCTOR. 

and often bleeds freely after it breaks down. It 
may terminate in from six to eighteen months. 

Epithelial cancer develops on the lips and at other 
outlets of the body where the skin and mucous sur- 
faces join. This form is less fatal than the other 
varieties, and runs a much longer course. 

It is now generally acknowledged that cancers 
b gin as the result of local injuries, when the sys- 
tem is not in condition to supply healthy material 
to repair the injuries, and that a degeneration of 
tissue takes place, which in time is absorbed into 
the blood, and produces constitutional poisoning. 

Whenever a hard lump is found accompanied by 
pain, or where there is a crack or ulcer on the lip, 
or other part of the body, that refuses to heal, an 
experienced surgeon should be consulted at once, 
and if a cancer is suspected no time should be lost 
in having it removed. 

When removed before it breaks down and be- 
comes an open sore, a cure can be safely assured, 
and at this stage the knife is the only safe and rad- 
ical method of treatment. Plasters and caustics 
often remove non-malignant tumors, which are 
ignorantly called cancers, but in a genuine cancer 
they invariably do harm. The reason that cancers 
recur so often after the use of the knife is that the 
operation is usually delayed till the poison enters 
the system, when it is too late for any treatment to 
be of any avail. 

On the other hand when plasters are used in the 



early stages of cancer, they hasten the breaking 

down of the growth, and the poisoning of the sys- 
tem. 

An early and thorough extirpation of ihe entire 
diseased pari is the oniy safe course to adopt in a 1 
cases of cancer. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Food in Health and Disease. 

Infant Feeding — Food for Adult Life — Food in 
Old Age — Fallacies Regarding Eating — 
Diet in Dyspepsia — Food in Biliousness- 
Food in Nervous Prostration — Food in 
Rheumatism — Food in Diabetes — Food in 
Consumption — Diet in Acute Diseases — 
Food in Convalescence. 

The human body is made up of a number of 
elementary substances which exist in the form of 
compounds within the body. These compounds 
are called proximate principles by physiologists, 
and this term is meant to designate the form in 
which the elements exist in the body. These ele- 
ments are constantly being used up and thrown off 
by the vital processes as effete material, and in or- 
der to keep up the vital action their places must be 
supplied by new material from without. The 
source of supply is obtained from the food, which 
undergoes proper digestion, and is then distributed 
to the various parts of the body to nourish the tis- 
sues and supply the place of the waste material 



FOOD IN HEALTH AND DISEASE. 213 

that has been thrown off, and also to sustain ani- 
mal life. It will therefore be seen that food should 
contain all the substances of which the body is 
composed. 

The study of the anatomy of the organs of di- 
gestion demonstrates the fact that the human diges- 
tive apparatus is designed for the digestion of both 
animal and vegetable foods, and all attempts to 
make it appear that man should live on an exclu- 
sively vegetable diet have proved fallacies, and are 
contrary to the laws of nature. 

Foods are divided into two classes: First — The 
hydro-carbons, or those that contain the elements 
of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. These serve to 
keep up animal heat, and embrace all starches, 
sugars and fats. Second — Albumenoids, or those that 
contain nitrogen in addition to the carbon, oxygen, 
and hydrogen, and which constitute the substances 
that go to build up tissue. In addition to these 
water makes up a large portion of the human body, 
and consequently a large quantity of this fluid must 
be taken into the system as part of the diet. Again 
there are a number of salts or earthy materials, 
such as common salt and the different forms of lime, 
that are essential to make up the different tissues 
and fluids of the body. When these are not found 
in combination with the articles of food, it is neces- 
sary that they should be supplied as such, either 
with the food or as medicine. The hydro-carbons, 
or heat producing foods, include all the cereals used 



214 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

as the food of man, such as wheat, oats, barley, corn 
and rye, and such vegetables as potatoes, peas, 
beans, lentils, rice, tapioca, arrowroot, beets, car- 
rots, parsnips, turnips, etc., and sugars of all kinds. 
In addition to these all fats and oils properly belong 
to this class, though they differ from the others in 
containing more carbon and less oxygen. 

The albumenoids include milk, cheese, eggs, 
meats of all kinds, and the gluten of the cereals. 

A healthy person in the prime of life will, as a 
rule, enjoy the best health when due attention is 
paid to a proper admixture of these foods, as the 
starches and sugars are essential to supply the heat 
necessary to keep up animal life, while the meats, 
etc., give the strength and vitality that comes of 
building up the tissues. 

For the sake of convenience, however, life might 
properly be divided into three periods: First — The 
period of development or growth; Second — Adult 
life; Third — Old age, or decay. 

From the birth of the child until its eighteenth 
or twenty-first year, the organs of the body are con- 
stantly developing. In fact growth begins at the 
very birth of the child, and at that time when 
there is little motion or muscular effort required, 
the food should be composed largely of the 
elements requisite for building up tissue. Hence 
the first food for an infant as supplied by nature is 
mother's milk, which is composed of water, albu- 
menoid substances, and some fat and sugar. The 



FOOD IN HEALTH AND DISEASE. 21 5 

tissue building greatly exceeds the heat-producing 
ingredients in milk, and thus the child grows rap- 
idly as long as the milk is continued. Following 
out this provision of nature, when the child begins 
to take other food than the mother's milk the tissue- 
building foods should be greatly in excess of the 
heat-producing, hence the necessity of withholding 
from the child bread, potatoes, sugar, and vegetables 
in general. Its first food after the mother's milk 
should be animal broths and the juice of rare beef 
and mutton. These foods, with milk, should con- 
stitute the diet. When starchy foods and sugars 
are freely given they cannot be digested, and they 
simply remain in the stomach or intestines, causing 
fermentation and the consequent formation of gas- 
es, which irritates the stomach and bowels. In 
this way many children are affected with serious 
derangements of digestion, the most common of 
which is cholera morbus, or summer complaint, 
which in the majority of cases proves fatal. This 
condition could be entirely averted if proper atten- 
tion was paid to the feeding of children after wean- 
ing. 

An infant should be fed every two hours for the 
first six or eight months of its life, and after that 
about once in every three hours till it is two years 
old. From the second to the fourteenth year of age 
the diet of childhood demands close attention. 
Coffee, tea, wine, beer, and all exciting drinks, 
should be avoided, and the food should consist of 



210 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

succulent meats without condiments, eggs, oat Jieal, 
bread, and potatoes, in moderation; baked apples, 
butter, farinaceous puddings, and milk. Young 
children should have at least four meals a day, and 
they should be carefully watched that they do not 
overload their stomach. During this time children 
are usually very active, and require the starchy and 
sugary food to produce animal heat, which is not 
so essential before the age of two years. After 
fourteen years of age a generous mixed diet should 
be supplied to children, as the more permanent and 
rapid growth takes place between that time and 
twenty-one years of age. Meats, beans, peas, len- 
tils, gluten bread, etc., should constitute the larger 
portion of the diet, as the tissues are formed rapidly 
during that time. 

INFANT FEEDING. 

A newly born babe should not be fed before it is 
applied to the breast, a teaspoonful of water being 
all that should be given. It is a mistaken idea to 
think that a babe will starve before the mother's 
breast will secrete the milk. At the first application 
of the child to the breast it draws out a watery sub- 
stance which seems to be necessary to give the 
proper stimulus to the stomach and bowels to cause 
the latter to move. Even if the milk should not 
come for two or three days, it is best to allow the 
child to wait until it is secreted, but the child 



INFANT FEEDING. 21 7 

should be put regularly to the breast, even though 
no milk is present. Mothers should not resort to 
the use of ale and beer to increase the flow of milk, 
for, instead of having the effect desired, it simply 
increases the watery portions of the milk, thus re- 
ducing its nutritive properties. 

When a mother is healthy and has a goodly se- 
cretion of milk, no child should be weaned until it 
is at least a year old; but after its sixth month, 
broths and soups, without vegetables, or a piece 
of beef or mutton to suck may be given without 
doing harm. Good cow's milk may also be given 
after the sixth month if it seems that the child 
is not sufficiently nourished from the mother's 
milk. 

In cases where a mother cannot nurse her child 
a good substitute for human milk is good cow's 
milk prepared as follows: The milk should be 
allowed to stand for an hour, after which the cream 
should be skimmed from the top. During the first 
month, four parts of this skimmed milk should be 
added to one part of water, and this sweetened by 
a few grains of sugar of milk. After the first 
month the same proportion of water should be add- 
ed, but it is best to leave the cream with the milk; 
and after the second month ordinary cow's milk 
may be given pure. 

A perfect food for infants and children must contain 
practically the same proportion of constituents and be 
as easily digested as a good quaMty of human milk, and 



21 8 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

when it is found impossible to use the breast milk, my 
personal experience shows thatCarnrick's Soluble Food 
is the best in the market. It is also of great value as 
an Invalid Food, where other nutrients cannot be 
tolerated. 

It is always best when a child is fed artificially 
that the milk should not be heated as is usually the 
case. It should stand for an hour in the living 
room of the child before using it. By adopting 
this course there is no possibility of having the 
milk too hot at one time and too cold at another, 
which varying conditions of temperature always 
have a bad effect upon the stomach of the child. 
After the sixth month animal broths and beef juice 
may be added to the diet, the same as previously 
recommended. As infants and young children will 
eat as long as they have anything before them, care 
should be taken to avoid this tendency to overload- 
ing the stomach, and should milk come up from the 
stomach as soon as swallowed it is an indication 
that the stomach is full and the child should at 
once be taken from the breast or the bottle. It is 
never a good plan to offer children food when they 
are restless or crying, unless two hours have elapsed 
since the previous feeding. 

These precautions will save the child from hav- 
ing derangement of the stomach or bowels, and in 
all cases where they are observed there is much 
less liability of the children suffering from summer 
complaint. 



FOOD FOR ADULT LIFE. 2ig 

FOOD FOR ADUDT LIFE. 

After twenty-one years of age, as a rule, all the 
organs and tissues of the body are fully developed, 
and if healthy their functions are perfect. At this 
time the office of food is to keep up animal heat 
and to supply the waste of tissue. A generous 
mixed diet of both animal and vegetable food is 
essential to this period of maturity. The activity 
dependent upon the various pursuits of life not 
only demands a considerable supply of fuel to keep 
the machinery in motion, but also requires sufficient 
material to repair the waste that is constantly going 
on in the brain, muscles, nerves, and other tissues 
of the body. Here the quantity of the heat-produc- 
ing and tissue-building foods are more evenly bal- 
anced, and it is important to know the relative val- 
ues of the several foods for the respective purposes. 
Of the vegetables, those that contain the most 
starch, or the best heat-producing foods, contain 
the least amount of material necessary for tissue- 
building, as may be seen by the following examples: 
two pounds of wheat flour contain about one ounce 
of tissue-forming material; two pounds of turnips 
contain about one and one-half ounces; two pounds 
of potatoes contain about one ounce; and four 
pounds of carrots about one ounce; while one pound 
of oatmeal contains thirteen ounces. Cocoa nibs, 
dried beans, and peas, stand next to the oatmeal in 
the value of these substances. It will thus be seen 



220 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

that if a person abstains from eating meat, lentils, 
beans and peas, cocoa nibs and gluten bread supply 
the greatest amount of material for building-tissue, 
while they also contain a sufficient amount of starch 
to keep up the animal heat. But as considerable 
quantities of these things are necessary to take the 
place of a small quantity of roast beef or mutton 
the animal foods are preferable as diet. 

It is claimed by many that brain-workers require 
to eat large quantities of food containing phos- 
phates, on the supposition that an extra amount of 
phosphates taken into the system are needed to 
supply the waste of brain-tissue. As science has 
proved, however, that phosphates exist in larger 
proportions in the muscles than in the brain, it 
does not follow that any special phosphatic food is 
necessary for brain-workers. It may be laid down 
as a rule that the brain-worker who eats a proper 
proportion of beef and mutton, with an admixture 
of ordinary vegetables, providing he rests long 
enough after eating to favor proper digestion, will 
find his brain in better working condition than the 
man who depends upon fish, oysters, and other so 
called phosphatic foods. In fact there is no fish 
except salmon that contains as much phosphatic 
material as beef or mutton, and the old notion that 
raw oysters are composed largely of phosphates 
has been shown to be a fallacy. It must be admit- 
ted, however, that very often a light meal of raw 
ovsters is better for a brain-worker than roast beef 



FOOD IN OLD AGE. 221 

and vegetables. This is due to the fact, however, 
that as raw oysters contain a large amount of pep- 
sin they are very easily digested, and where a per- 
son is applying the mind very closely he is apt to 
begin his work so soon after eating that the blood 
is at once brought to the brain from the stomach, 
and thus digestion is impossible. This results in a 
short time in a chronic state of indigestion which 
of necessity prevents a proper nutrition of the body. 

FOOD IN OLD AGE. 

After fifty or fifty-five years of age, the nutritive 
process becomes less active. Even though there 
maybe considerable activity of the mind and body, 
the amount of food consumed is usually much less 
than during the prime of life. The heat-producing 
foods should now be supplied in such forms as to 
render them most easy of digestion. Care should 
be given to the proper cooking of food, and masti- 
cation is likely to be imperfect. Meats should be 
chopped fine before broiling, that they maybe more 
easily digested after swallowing. Milk at this pe- 
riod often constitutes an important article of diet, 
even though it may not have been much used dur- 
ing the prime of life. 

The question of stimulants now comes in for 
consideration. Alcoholic stimulants, used in mod- 
eration, often supply the place of starches and 
sugars that are difficult of digestion; and this is 
particularly true with those who are brain-workers. 



222 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

A little stimulant to the aged brain-worker supplies 
the material for keeping up the animal heat with- 
out diverting the blood too much from the head; 
thus continued mental effort may be kept up for a 
considerable time with perfect safety. Elder, y per- 
sons sleep less as they advance in years, and even 
at times they become affected by sleeplessness 
which is persistent. In such cases a light meal be- 
fore retiring, with a glass of Tutonic Malt Extract, will 
draw the blood to the stomach, and favor natural sleep, 
while it is a valuable tissue builder. 

FALLACIES REGARDING EATING. 

Many fallacies regarding foods, and when to 
eat, are still entertained by the masses of the people, 
and a few of them will be briefly mentioned. 

It is a fallacy to believe that man in health 
should live exclusively on a vegetable diet. It is 
true he may do so for a considerable length of 
time, but mixed animal and vegetable diet is more 
conducive to health and strength. 

It is better to eat before going to bed than to go 
to bed hungry, as the stomach will digest the food 
during sleep more perfectly than at any other time, 
and besides a small quantity of food in the stomach, 
at bed-time, always draws a certain amount of 
blood from the brain, thus promoting natural sleep. 

Many people find it impossible to eat certain 
kinds of food, as whenever they attempt it they 
have some unpleasant effects resulting therefrom. 



FOOD IN DYSPEPSIA. 223 

In such cases, it is unwise to urge their eating 
them under any circumstances, as they are better 
able to judge for themselves from practical experi- 
ence than anybody can judge for them. The old- 
fashioned beef-tea and the various extracts of beef 
on the market have little or no value as foods, as 
the processes by which they are prepared deprive 
them of their albumenoid substances, or so change 
their chemical composition as to render them value- 
less as tissue-builders. 

The administraion of food to sick persons by 
injection into the bowel we also believe to be a fal- 
lacy that has no foundation in fact. Foods thus 
introduced do not reach any tissue that takes up 
nutriment, and the only thing they can do is 
to remain there for a time and possibly cause 
irritation. 

Condiments, as a rule, should be avoided, espe- 
cially large quantities of pepper, mustard, and spicy 
sauces. These things, with salt, may be essential 
to give the proper flavor to food while cooking, but 
their free use on the food as eaten is often produc- 
tive of much harm. 

FOOD IN DYSPEPSIA. 

Persons suffering from dyspepsia should abstain 
as far as possible from all foods containing much 
sugar and starch, as these substances undergo fer- 
mentation and cause an accumulation of gases in 
the stomach and bowels. Beef and mutton should 



224 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

be cooked rare so that the juice can be obtained. 
Game in any form should be avoided. Breasts of 
chicken or turkey should be eaten in preference to 
second joint. Pastry and farinaceous foods of all 
kinds must be abstained from. Care should be 
taken to thoroughly masticate the food, and drink 
should be avoided until complete mastication has 
been effected. Milk, especially skimmed milk, and 
eggs are wholesome. Scraped beef and animal 
broths may be used, while gluten bread should 
always be substituted for white flour bread. 

FOOD IN BILIOUSNESS. 

Persons who suffer from biliousness, without 
having any special accumulation of gases in the 
stomach, should eat fish, when it agrees with them, 
in preference to the meats. Vegetables, except 
potatoes, corn, and rice, may be eaten largely, and 
ripe fruits in their season, if they do not disagree 
with the stomach. Fat bacon is also a good article 
of food. Coffee as a rule is bad for most bilious 
persons, and experience will teach them that it 
should be avoided, A small quantity of fat meat 
is always preferable to the more solid portions. 
Eggs and milk should as a rule be avoided, al- 
though they may agree with some persons. Malt 
liquors of all kinds are especially objectionable, 
and, if any stimulant is taken, a light wine or a 
strong alcoholic stimulant is preferable. 



FOOD IN RHEUMATISM. 22 5 

FOOD IN NERVOUS PROSTRATION. 

Persons suffering from nervous prostration due 
to mental overwork or long-continued sickness 
should have easily digested foods. Fish and fat of 
meats, especially bacon, will be found very service- 
able. Good rich milk, or, better still, fresh cream 
should be taken freely, while the yolk of an egg 
beaten with a little sherry wine will serve a good 
purpose two or three times a day. Lettuce prepared 
with oil, as a salad, is also suggested, while stewed 
fruits are particularly serviceable. Good tenderloin 
steak, well chopped up before broiling and cooked 
rare, will be easily digested and impart strength. 
In these cases, however, a generous supply of veg- 
etables will usually serve a better purpose than a 
meat diet. 

FOOD IN ACUTE AND CHRONIC RHEUMATISM. 

In these diseases the object is to avoid such 
articles of food as will tend to produce lithic acid. 
Fish, bread, potatoes, milk, sugar, butter, cheese, 
coffee, or cocoa in moderation, should comprise 
the diet of persons suffering from rheumatism or 
gout. The animal broths may also be found serv- 
iceable, and fruits in their season as a general rule 
are both agreeable and wholesome. The heavy 
meat diet should be avoided, as it contains most of 
the material that goes to form lithic acid. Fat 
bacon is the least objectionable of the meats. 



226 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

FOOD IN DIABETES. 

In diabetes all kinds of food that tend to produce 
sugar should be avoided, and hence we must ex- 
clude from the diet of a diabetic patient sugar in any 
form, beets, carrots, rice, all starchy puddings and 
pastry of all kinds, as well as fresh and preserved 
fruits. Milk, sweet wines, malt liquors and cider 
must also be avoided. The diet should consist of 
butcher's meat of all kinds, poultry, game, fish, 
animal broths, gluten bread, eggs, cheese, butter, 
cream, lettuce, celery, pickles if digestible, and 
radishes may be regularly used; while beans, cab- 
bage, asparagus, and cauliflower may be eaten in 
moderation. Tea, coffee or cocoa may be taken, 
and also sour wines, brandy, and good whisky in 
moderation, if required. 

FOOD IN BRIGHT'S DISEASE. 

Beef, mutton and pork should as a rule be 
avoided or eaten with moderation. Celery, turnips, 
carrots, salads, raw and cooked fruits, may be 
taken when they are known to agree with the 
stomach. Soups or broths may at times be taken 
in moderation, while oatmeal or hominy porridge 
will often constitute a desirable breakfast. Cream 
in quantities, with plenty of butter and oil, may be 
taken freely. Milk is sometimes recommended, 
while the free use of grapes has been suggested as 
a cure for the disease. Alcoholic stimulants invari- 



DIET IN ACUTE DISEASES. 227 

ablv do harm, and should be entirely avoided, ex- 
cept in extreme cases of nervous prostration. 

FOOD IN CONSUMPTION. 

In consumption fats and oils constitute a very 
important part of the diet. It should, therefore, be 
borne in mind that fat meats, especially bacon, 
rich cream, plenty of butter, with bread, cod liver 
oil, and preparations of malt, will do much to sup- 
ply the excessive waste of the system. The fleshy 
portions of meat as a rule are not desirable and are 
imperfectly digested. Stimulants, especially Tutonic 
Malt Extract, can also be freely taken with good results. 
Miik and cream are usually more acceptable to 
young persons than the fats, and the yolk of eggs, 
with sherry wine, can also be used through the day 
with advantage. Persons suffering from consump- 
tion should eat at short intervals, but not too much 
at any one time. 

DIET IN ACUTE DISEASES. 

During the continuance of all acute diseases 
and inflammations the question of diet is an impor- 
tant one. Liquid nourishment as a general thing 
should be resorted to. Milk, brown bread, and a 
gruel made of oatmeal cr barley will always be 
found beneficial. In fact the aim should be to give 
an abundant supply of heat-producing food. The 
acidulated drinks, with sugar, are also demanded, 
and wine or pure whisky or brandy will be found a 



22S THE HOME DOCTOR. 

valuable aid in carrying a patient through a critical 
period. The usual custom of giving beef tea dur- 
ing an acute sickness is a mistaken idea, as it con- 
tains little or no nourishment, and even if it did it 
would do little or no good. 

FOOD IN CONVALESCENCE. 

After the disease has spent itself and the patient 
is slowly recovering, such food as will build up the 
wasted tissues should be resorted to. Animal 
broths, beef juice, scraped beef, and beef steak, 
finely chopped before boiling and cooked rare, will 
be found valuable; and raw eggs beaten up with 
sherry wine may be used during the day with ad- 
vantage. As the patient improves fish or chicken 
may be given for a change. Too much food, how- 
ever, should not be given at one time, but the pa- 
tient should be fed often so as to keep up a contin- 
uous supply of the nutritive material. 

During convalescence from all acute or wasting dis- 
eases, Bovinine will be found of particular value, as it 
contains all the elements of beef in the most concen- 
trated form. It should be given at short intervals, and 
continued till the patient regains his strength. 

In conclusion we would protest against the too 
common practice of urging people to take quantities 
of food when they have no inclination to do so. In 
such cases food will do harm instead of good, for 
as soon as the system is in condition to require 
food it will be demanded. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Antidotes for Poisons. 

For Opium — Strychnine — Arsenic — Lead — Aco- 
nite — Belladonna — Carbolic Acid — Chlo- 
roform — Coal Gas — Illuminating Gas — 
Oxalic Acid — Gelsemium — Chloral — Pois- 
onous Mushrooms. 

Poisoning by accident or design is of such fre- 
quent occurrence that a knowledge of the symptoms 
and antidotes of the more common forms of poison- 
ing is of importance in every household. While we 
indicate the emergency treatment for such cases, it 
must be borne in mind that a physician should al- 
ways be summoned as soon as possible, as many 
complications are likely to arise that require both 
judgment and scientific knowledge. 



Opium, in some of its numerous forms, is fre- 
quently taken in poisonous doses. The symptoms 
are drowsiness, stupor, pulse quick at first but soon 
becomes slow and full, slow and difficult breathing, 
paleness of the skin, cold clammy perspiration ; and 



230 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

contracted pupils; and after a time a profound 
coma comes on. 

Treatment. — An emetic should be given to unload 
the stomach. For this purpose a teaspoonful of 
ground mustard seed in a teacupful of warm water 
will usually act promptly, and is generally at hand. 
The patient must be kept awake by slapping, 
pinching and forcing him to walk in the open air. 
He should be made to drink freely of strong black 
coffee, and if the stupor increases strong ammonia 
should be held under the nostrils. If he can swal- 
low, from two to five-drop doses of belladonna should 
be given every half hour till the pupils are dilated. 

When the physician is called he should give 
hypodermic injections of atropine till the effect of 
the opium is counteracted. 

Laudanum, paregoric, Godfrey's cordial, most 
all soothing syrups, and the various morphine salts, 
are all prepared from opium, and when any of 
these are taken the symptoms and treatment are 
the same as given when opium itself is used. 

STRYCHNINE. 

When an over-dose of strychnine or nux vomica 
is taken, the effect begins to be manifest in about 
fifteen or twenty minutes. The symptoms are a 
sense of suffocation, great difficulty of breathing, 
muscular trembling, twitching of the head, arms, 
and legs, and finally violent convulsions. These 
convulsions cause powerful muscular contractions 



ARSENIC. 23I 

and rigidity of the entire body, which may continue 
for a few minutes and then subside for a short in- 
terval, only to recur with greater severity wHh each 
paroxysm. 

Treatment, — The spasms should be controlled by 
the inhalation of chloroform, and ten grains of 
camphor and one teaspoonful of chloroform should 
be given by the mouth, in a little whisky, at inter- 
vals of half an hour. When the spasms are once 
controlled twenty drops of tincture of gelsemium 
may be given every hour till the muscles are com- 
pletely relaxed. When possible the treatment 
should be directed by a physician. 



Arsenic is frequently employed as a poison, and 
is often swallowed by children in the form of rat- 
poison. When taken in large doses, faintness, 
nausea and vomiting, tome on in from half an 
hour to one i.our. An intense burning in the stom- 
ach is present, which continues to increase till se- 
vere purging take*} place. Cramps of the abdomen 
and legs, constriction and dryness of the throat, in- 
tense thirst, feeble pulse, and cold and clammy 
skin are amo f jg the other symptoms present. 

Treat?nent. — The patient may drink freely of 
cold water, and two tablespoonfuls of dialyzed iron 
should be given every half hour. Friction and hot 
fomentations should be applied to the abdomen 
and extremities, and a quarter of a grain of mor- 



232 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

phine may be given in some cases, with advantage. 
This is best administered hypodermically by a phy- 
sician. 

LEAD. 

Lead poisoning sometimes occurs from the met- 
al being mixed with food or water, or by working in 
the metal. Painters, plumbers, and manufacturers 
of white lead, are liable to be thus poisoned. 

This poisoning is of a chronic character, and it 
is first manifested by loss of appetite, poor digestion, 
constipation, colic, muscular paralysis, and the 
appearance of a bluish line on the margin of the 
gums. 

Women who have used cosmetics containing 
lead often develop these symptoms without know- 
ing how to account for them. 

Treatment. — The person must discontinue using 
lead lotions, or working with metal in any form. 
The bowels should be kept regular by the use of 
our Home Liver Pills, and five grains of iodide 
of potassium should be taken three times a day. 

ACONITE. 

Aconite poisoning is speedily followed by tin- 
gling and numbness of the tongue, dizziness, loss of 
power, and numbness of the legs, severe abdominal 
pains vomiting and purging. 

Treatment. — An emetic should be given as soon 
as possible. If the teaspoonful of mustard in a 
cupful of warm water fails to empty the stomach, 



BELLADONNA — CARBOLIC ACID. 233 

thirty drops of fluid extract of ipecac should be 
given every twenty minutes till free vomiting is 
produced. 

Friction of the extremities, hot applications to 
the abdomen, and the free use of whisky or brandy 
are also indicated. If the breathing fails artificial 
respiration and the inhalation of the fumes of 
nitrite of amyl should be resorted to. 

BELLADONNA. 

Dryness of the mouth and throat, nausea, vom- 
iting, dizziness, dilated pupils, dullness of vision or 
double vision, mental excitement, delirium and con- 
vulsions are the symptoms of belladonna poisoning. 

Treatment. — The first thing to do is to empty the 
stomach with an emetic. Then whisky or brandy 
should be given freely, and morphine one-fourth 
grain should be given by the mouth or hypodermi- 
cally. Artificial respiration should also be kept up 
if the breathing begins to fail. 

CARBOLIC ACID. 

Carbolic acid has frequently been used of late 
with suicidal intent, and it is often swallowed by 
mistake. It acts as a caustic to the mucous sur- 
faces of the mouth, throat and stomach, and causes 
a shock to the nervous system. Hall a glassful of 
olive oil should be swallowed as soon as possible, 
and then the stomach should be emptied by an 
emetic. Hot applications to the extremities and 



234 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

hot brandy and water internally should then be 
used freely. The physician may often find it neces- 
sary to use a faradic current of electricity. 

CHLOROFORM. 

When too much chloroform has been inhaled, 
ammonia should be held under the nostrils and ar- 
tificial respiration should be resorted to. Nitrite of 
amyl should also be given by inhalation if the 
breathing is not speedily restored. In fact this 
remedy should always be on hand when chloroform 
is to be used for any purpose. 

COAL GAS. 

In poisoning from coal gas, the windows must 
be opened widely, ammonia should be inhaled, 
and artificial respiration should be employed. Hot 
mustard water should be applied to the feet and 
hands, and repeated shocks should be caused by 
alternately dashing hot and cold water on the face 
and chest. Electricity will also be found valuable 
in bringing about a reaction. Stimulants should be 
used freely as soon as the patient can swallow. 

ILLUMINATION GAS. 

The inhalation of illumination gas has become 
a common method of attempting suicide, and it is 
often turned on accidentally. 

The same general treatment should be employed 
as is recommended for poisoning from coal gas. 



GELSEMIUM — CHLORAL. 



OXALIC ACID. 



Poisoning with oxalic acid occasions an intense 
and burning taste during swallowing, which ex- 
tends into the stomach, causing a burning pain, 
vomiting, tenderness of abdomen, and drawing up 
of the legs. 

The poison is antidoted by drinking freely of 
lime water, and afterward clearing the intestines 
with an ounce of castor oil. 

GELSEMIUM. 

Large doses of gelsemium causes drooping of 
the eyelids, double vision, fullness and pain in the 
head, and general muscular paralysis. 

These conditions are readily overcome by the 
free use of whisky or brandy, and the inhalation of 
ammonia fumes. 

In severe cases the inhalation of nitrite of amyl 
will promptly relieve the extreme depression. 



An overdose of chloral always produces profound 
stupor with labored breathing. 

The inhalation of nitrite of amyl is the quickest 
and surest antidote for chloral poisoning. When 
the patient revives somewhat heat and friction 
should be applied to the extremities and stimulant 
should be freely used. 



236 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

POISONOUS MUSHROOMS. 

Poisonous fungus growths are sometimes eaten 
in mistake for mushrooms. They occasion symp- 
toms of intoxication, and a peculiar anomaly of 
vision, in which all objects look blue. Usually 
there is irritation of the stomach and bowels. 

The first thing to be done is to empty the stom- 
ach with an emetic, and then move the bowels with 
an ounce of castor oil. Heat should be applied to 
the stomach and extremities, and stimulants should 
be given internally. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

What to Do in Emergencies. 

Burns and Scalds — Pistol Wounds — Bleeding 
from Wounds — Bleeding from the Nose — 
Bleeding from the Lungs — Fainting — Con- 
vulsions — Drowning-Accidents from Falls 
or Collisions. 

Many emergencies arise in which prompt action 
is necessary either to save life or prevent much 
suffering. The suggestions here given are not 
claimed to cover the entire ground, but if studied 
they may often prove of value to the reader. 

burns and scalds. 

The intense pain caused by burns or scalds is 
best relieved by bathing the part with a solution of 
one ounce of bicarbonate of soda to a pint of water. 
After this is poured on the burned surface pieces 
of old lint or muslin may be saturated in the solu- 
tion and laid over the part, and then kept wet by 
pouring the solution over it till the burning pain is 
relieved. If the physician has not arrived by that 
time, cover the burn with sweet olive oil to exclude 



238 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

the air till the part can be permanently dressed by 
the doctor. 

PISTOL WOUNDS. 

If a person is wounded by a bullet from a pistol 
the first care is to see that any bleeding is arrested. 
If the ball has penetrated the chest or abdomen, 
the patient should be placed in a recumbent posi- 
tion, and all motion should be prevented till the 
physician arrives. If there is any indication of 
faintness or shock, an ounce of good whisky or 
brandy may be given. 

BLEEDING FROM WOUNDS. 

When severe bleeding occurs immediately after 
the receipt of a wound, a firm pressure with the 
fingers or thumbs, over the edge of the wound from 
which the blood comes will temporarily arrest its 
flow. If the blood flows with pulsating jets, it 
shows that an artery has been cut. In such cases 
pressure should be made between the w r ound and 
the heart, and the position of the pressure should 
be changed till the bleeding is controlled. Then tie 
a knot in the middle of a handkerchief, and place 
the knot over the point where the pressure of the 
fingers stopped the bleeding. Then tie the handker- 
chief around the limb, place a stout stick between 
it and the skin, and then twist the stick till the knot 
presses deeply into the soft tissues, so as to press 



BLEEDING FROM THE NOSE. 239 

on the artery. Should this control the bleeding 
the patient is safe till the surgeon arrives 

When the bleeding is slight, cold applications 
will often arrest it; or one handkerchief may be 
folded so as to form a compress, and another 
bound around the limb firmly so as to cause enough 
pressure to stop the bleeding. 

In all cases of wounds where there is much 
bleeding, a surgeon should be summoned immedi- 
ately, as the above directions are only intended for 
emergencies. 

BLEEDING FROM THE NOSE. 

Slight bleeding from the nose may often occur 
and last but a few moments. If it is severe, how- 
ever, something should be done to stop it. 

The first and simplest thing to do is to snuff cold 
water up the nostrils so as to allow it to pass down 
into the mouth. If this fails, ice should be applied 
to the back of the neck and to the bridge of the 
nose, and small pieces may be introduced into the 
nostrils. The finger or thumb may be pressed 
firmly against the under surface of the upper lip at 
its center, so as to press the lip against the nose, or 
a wad of paper or cotton may be crowded between 
the upper lip and the gum, and the lip then 
pressed against it from without. 

If these means fail, a surgeon should be sent for 
to plug the nostrils from the mouth, or apply some 
astringent medicine, 



240 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

BLEEDING FROM THE LUNGS. 

When bleeding from the lungs takes place the 
blood is of a bright scarlet color, and has the ap- 
pearance of froth, or foam. It is seldom present 
except in cases of consumption, and is usually a 
very unfavorable symptom. 

The patient should be made to lie down at once, 
with the head and shoulders elevated. Common 
table salt should be given, in teaspoonful doses, 
every half hour till several doses are taken, and a 
hot mustard footbath should be given. The physi- 
cian should be sent for at once, but if the bleeding 
is not stopped before his arrival, ten drops of the 
oil of erigeron should be given in a tablespoonful 
of syrup, and repeated every fifteen or twenty min- 
utes till four or five doses are taken. This remedy 
can be obtained in any drug store. 

The patient should be kept quiet in bed for sev- 
eral days after an attack, and the diet should be of 
the most nourishing kind. 

FAINTING. 

When a person faints from any cause, he should 
be placed on the back, on a level surface, with the 
head lower than the body; the clothes should be 
loosened so as to leave the abdomen and chest free 
from pressure; ammonia or smelling salts should 
be held under the nostrils; and cold water may be 
dashed in the face to cause a slight shock. As soon 



DROWNING. 241 

as the patient can swallow, some good stimulant 
should be given; and quiet should be enforced till 
complete reaction has taken place. 

CONVULSIONS, OR FITS. 

In any case of convulsions, or fits, the first thing 
to be done is to take precautions against the patient 
hurting himself. If possible, a folded handkerchief 
should be crowded between the teeth, and the limbs 
should be held during each paroxysm. 

In convulsions of infants a hot bath will often 
afford prompt relief. 

The physician should be summoned immediately 
as experience alone can guide us in determining 
what treatment to follow in the different kinds of 
convulsions. 

DROWNING. 

When a person is asphyxiated from drowning, 
he should be laid upon his back and a person 
kneeling at his head should grasp the arms just 
below the elbows. The arms are then carried away 
from the sides, and then carried upward over the 
head, making a steady pull for a few seconds. 
Then carry the arms forward and down to the 
sides, at the same time making a firm, steady 
pressure on the sides of the lower ribs. These 
motions should be repeated fifteen or sixteen times 
per minute, till respiration is reestablished. It 
may often be necessary to keep up the movements 



242 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

for half an hour or longer before the suspended 
animation is restored. Ammonia may be held to 
the nostrils while these motions are being made. 

As soon as there is an indication of returning 
animation, the wet clothes should be removed, fric- 
tion and heat should be applied to the extremities, 
and stimulants should be given as soon as he can 
swallow. 

ACCIDENTS FROM FALLS OR COLLISIONS. 

If a person is stunned by a fall or a collision, or 
if any bones are broken, the first thing to do is to 
place him on his back and extend the arms and 
legs. Then the face may be bathed with cold 
water and ammonia held to the nostrils. If the 
condition is one of slight shock, consciousness will 
return in a short time; but if there is any injury to 
the brain or spinal cord the stupor may last a long 
time. Such patients should be removed to a hos- 
pital or their homes as soon as possible. If no am- 
bulence can be had, a board, shutter, or door, can 
always be had to place the patient on, when he can 
easily be carried home. A surgeon should be sum- 
moned at once. 

In cases of fractures or dislocations the proper 
treatment should be resorted to without delay, but 
in severe shock it is necessary to wait till reaction 
has been established before anything can be done. 



i 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Our Home Medicines. 

In offering to the public the following medicines 
prepared from the private prescriptions of the 
author, the Home Treatment Company feel con- 
fident that they are placing within reach of all rem- 
edies that will prove of great benefit to suffering 
humanity. They are the result of careful study 
and observation in an extensive private practice, 
extending over a period of thirty years; and a 
single trial will convince the most skeptical that 
they will do all that is claimed for them. 

They are not patent medicines, or "cure alls" 
but each is prepared with special reference to the 
class of diseases for which it is recommended. 

In most cases they have been prepared in Pill 
or Tablet Form, from the concentrated medicinal 
principles of plants and herbs, and are guaranteed 
pure and efficient. In this way we insure uniform- 
ity of dose, certainty of action convenience of 
administration at all times, and freedom from dis- 
agreeable tastes. 

All medicines that will produce the desired effect 
must be more or less disagreeable to the taste when 
taken in liquid form, and our most valuable reme- 



244 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

dies are intensely bitter. It can therefore be laid 
down as a rule that all tonics, malarial remedies, 
kidney and liver medicines, dyspepsia cures, etc., 
that are pleasant to the taste in liquid form do not 
have the strength necessary to produce proper 
action. 

To those who think they cannot swallow a pill 
or tablet we would say, " Drop it in the mouth, be- 
hind the teeth and under the tongue, and immedi- 
ately take one or two swallows of water, and the 
pill is down before you know it." 

Home Dyspepsia Pills. 

A specific for acute indigestion, chronic dyspepsia, heart- 
burn, acid stomach, flatulency, bloating after eat- 
ing, and wind colic. 

Home Dyspepsia Pills are specially com- 
pounded with the view of giving the requisite tone 
and stimulus to the general system, and meeting 
the requirements in the several disorders of diges- 
tion above named. 

Among the symptoms indicating its use may be 
mentioned a heavy or cutting pain in the stomach 
soon after eating, a distended, full feeling of the 
stomach and bowels, belching of wind and flatu- 
lence, a burning sensation in the stomach, heart- 
burn, palpitation of the heart, oppression of breath- 
ing, pain under the ribs and shoulder-blades, 



VITAKURE DYSPEPSIA PILLS. 245 

headache through the temples and eyes, dizziness, 
coated tongue, and constipation. 

Many of these symptoms are absent, but some 
of them are always present in all cases of dyspep- 
sia, while sometimes nausea and vomiting will 
occur before even temporary relief is obtained. 

These symptoms are often attended with extreme 
despondency of spirits, when the patient looks on 
the dark side of everything, wishes he was dead, 
and even contemplates suicide. 

Directions for Use — One pill should be taken 
immediately after each meal, and the treatment 
should be continued till no discomfort is felt after 
eating. In long-standing cases it is best to begin 
with two pills at a dose and continue for ten or 
fourteen days. After that one pill will be suf- 
cient. 

In all cases of acidity, flatulence, or feeling of 
bloating after eating, it is best to abstain from all 
foods containing starch and sugar. This would 
exclude potatoes, corn, rice, white bread, beets, 
sugar, sweetmeats, and pastry. The patient can 
still select from meats of all kinds, fish, raw oys- 
ters, beans, peas, lettuce, asparagus, tomatoes, 
ripe fruits in season ; rye bread, and bread made 
from pure gluten flour. By adhering to this 
diet, acetous fermentation is prevented, and the 
remedies will restore the natural digestion more 
promptly. 

If the bowels should be constipated, or the 



246 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

tongue coated, our Home Liver Pills should be 
used at bed time. 

Price, $1.00 per box. 

Home Toxic Pills for Women. 

Specially compounded for the diseases and weaknesses 
peculiar to women. 

Home Tonic Pills for Women are not only a 
valuable general tonic, but are also a special tonic 
for the womb and ovaries. 

The great frequency of diseases of the womb, 
and the continued suffering to which they give rise, 
are due in part to the ignorance of women concern- 
ing themselves, and in part to their delicacy in con- 
sulting a physician. Every woman should read the 
chapter on " Diseases of Woman," and then by 
using this remedy most of their suffering will cer- 
tainly be averted. 

When a woman has pain in the small of the 
back, or at the lower end of the spine, a sensation 
of dragging and dull aching about the hips and 
thighs, a weight or fullness in the lower part of the 
abdomen, headache on the top or back of the head, 
with general languor and weakness, she may be 
certain that she is suffering from some disorder of 
the womb, while a frequent desire to urinate, and 
the presence of leucorrhea (whites) indicate more 
serious complications. These symptoms indicate 
the necessity for the use of this remedy. It can 



VITAKURE MALARIAL PILLS. 247 

also be used with advantage during pregnancy and 
at "the change of life." 

Directions for Use. — One pill should be taken, 
fifteen or twenty minutes before each meal, at first; 
but if the symptoms are not greatly improved after 
ten days or two weeks, two pills can be taken be- 
fore each meal. 

When leucorrhea (whites) is present our Home 
Uterine Tablets should be used as directed on page 

257. 

Price, $1.00 per box of one hundred pills. 

Home Malarial Pills. 

A cure for chills, fever and ague, dumb ague, bilious 
fever, and all malarial fevers. 

The Home Malarial Pills will effectually erad- 
icate from the system all trace of the malarial 
poison, and when taken as directed will prevent 
any recurrence of these persistent and distressing 
complaints. It is guaranteed to contain no quinine, 
and hence does not produce the fullness of the head 
and ringing of the ears that follow the use of that 
drug. 

When a person feels a sense of languor and de- 
pression, aching of the muscles and apparently of 
the bones, chilliness with alternate flashes of heat, 
a dull, heavy headache, and pain between and un- 
der the shoulder blades, with sometimes a decided 
chill followed by high fever and profuse ptrspira- 



248 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

tion, or a continued chilly feeling lasting for seve- 
ral hours, there can be no doubt of the malarial 
character of the disorder. When these symptoms 
recur about the same time every day, or every 
second or third day, the character of the disease is 
more fully assured. 

Directions for Use. — One pill should be taken 
every three hours, while awake, for one week. 
Then omit the pill for about four days, after which 
it should be taken as before for three days more. 
In this way the treatment should be renewed for 
three days each week, omitting the other days, till 
a month has passed. This will insure a radical cure 
of the w r orst forms of malarial diseases. 

As the action of the liver is of great importance, 
our Home Liver Pills should be taken regularly 
during the treatment. 

Price, Si. 00 per box of one hundred pills. 

Neurodine Tablet. 

A specific for neuralgia, sciatica, neivons headache, 
toothache, hysterical spasms, insomnia, and nerv- 
ous irritability. 

Neurodine Tablets quiet and soothe all pain and 
nervous irritability, when the nervous system is 
primarily affected, by equalizing the circulation in 
the nerve centers. 

It is not recommended for rheumatism and other 
painful inflammations, and should not be used in 



NEURODINE TABLETS. 249 

such cases. It is, however, a specific in all forms 
of neuralgia, toothache, nervous headache, hysteri- 
cal spasms, and sleeplessness. 

Directions for Use. — In sciatica, toothache, and 
all cases of neuralgia, take two tablets every half 
hour till relieved, or till six or eight tablets are taken. 
When pain is severe the patient should be in the 
recumbent position while taking the medicine and 
for a couple of hours afterward. In long standing 
cases one tablet should be taken after each meal, 
and before retiring one may be taken every half 
hour till five or six doses are taken. 

For sleeplessness two tablets should be taken at 
bed-time, and one tablet every half hour afterward 
till sleep is produced. 

For hysterical spasms one tablet should be 
taken, and repeated as above when spasms are 
present, but when the symptoms of extreme 
nervousness alone are present one tablet should 
be taken after each meal and two tablets at bed- 
time. 

The tablet contains no narcotic, and as it acts 
only on the nerve centers, can be taken as directed 
with perfect safety. 

When the dose is often repeated it will produce 
in very sensitive persons a relaxation of the mus- 
cles and a heaviness of the eyelids. These symp- 
toms are of no consequence and are only mentioned 
to avoid uneasiness in the minds of those who 
might notice them. Keep quiet for a short time 



250 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

and such symptoms will soon disappear, as will 
also the pain. 

Price, $1.00 per box of one hundred tablets. 

Home Cholera Tablets. 

For diarrhea, dysentery, cholera morbus, and cholera. 

The Home Cholera Tablets are combined so 
as to promptly arrest the development of the intes- 
tinal disorders so commonly met with in the summer 
season. They are free from the disagreeable taste 
and tendency to nausea that is met with in the use 
of the liquid remedies so generally recommended. 
The tablets should be kept on hand by every family 
during the summer, and used according to direc- 
tions as soon as any looseness of the bowels is 
noticed. In this way the more serious disorders, 
such as dysentery, cholera morbus, and cholera 
may be avoided. 

Directions for Use. — For diarrhea one tablet 
should be taken every hour for three or four hours. 
This will usually relieve the worst cases, though 
sometimes five or six doses will be necessary. 

For dysentery or cholera morbus two tablets 
should be taken at first, and then one tablet in half 
an hour. The one tablet may be given at intervals 
of half an hour for four or five times afterward, if 
necessary to control the bowels. 

In all cases the medicine should be discontinued 



VITAKURE LIVER PILLS. 25I 

as soon as relief is obtained, but can be renewed 
when a recurrence takes place. 

For children between six and ten years of age, 
the tablets should be cut in two with a sharp knife, 
and one-half given not oftener than once an hour. 

For children under six, and over three years of 
age, the tablet should be crushed into a powder, 
and one-fourth given at a dose a couple of times, 
with an hour's interval between the doses. It should 
not be given to children under three years of age. 

During the continuance of these disorders it is 
best to avoid much food, as it is not digested and 
only aggravates the disease. Fluids should be 
abstained from as much as possible, excepting 
boiled milk in moderation. Starchy foods are pref- 
erable to any other, and in bad cases absolute rest 
is always a great help. 

After the disease is controlled the bowels are 
usually constipated. To relieve this use our Home 
Liver Pills. 

Price, $1.00 per box of one hundred tablets. 

Home Liver Pills. 

A radical cure for constipation, biliousness, bilious and 
sick headache, colic, and torpid liver. 

Our Home Liver Pills can always be taken 
with safety and with a certainty of producing the 
desired effect. 



2 52 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

In all cases of constipation they will not only 
relieve the difficulty at the time, but will overcome 
it entirely. 

Their use is indicated when the tongue is coated 
with a brown or whitish coating; when there is a 
dull pain under the lower ribs on the right side, 
extending around under the shoulder-blades; when 
there is a pain low down on the left side of the 
abdomen; when the eyes and skin look yellowish; 
when there are brown moth-spots on the face and 
other parts of the body; and when there is a pain 
through the eyes, or severe headache with sickness 
of the stomach. 

Directions for Use. — As these pills are made so 
as to be given in small doses, no person should 
take more than one pill on going to bed. This can 
be continued every night till the bowels move freely 
more than once a day, after which one pill should 
be taken every second or third night, till the tongue 
is clear and all pain relieved. 

In cases where the bowels do not move freely 
after the third night, two pills may be taken at bed- 
time till the desired effect is produced; then con- 
tinue with one pill as required. 

In this way an efficient and pleasant action can 
be secured, without any of the harsh effects of 
strong cathartics. 

In some cases even three pills may be required, 
but in all cases only one should be taken at a dose 
to begin with. 



VITAKURE TONIC PILLS. 253 

Price, 25 cents per box of twenty-five pills; 
$1.00 per box of one hundred and twenty-five pills. 

Home Rheumatic Pills. 

A certain cure for rheumatism, gout, lumbago, and 
pains in muscles and joints. 

The Home Rheumatic Pills will be found the 
most valuable and certain cure for all forms of 
rheumatism and gout that has yet been offered to 
the public. They are compounded with special ref- 
erence to the causes of these diseases : and will not 
only relieve them but radically remove the cause. 

Remember that neuralgia and sciatica belong to 
another class of diseases, and cannot be relieved by 
a rheumatic remedy. 

Directions for Use. — Take one pill after each 
meal and at bed-time. Continue the treatment 
till the pain is entirely relieved. 

If the bowels are constipated they should be 
kept loose by using our Home Liver Pills. 

Price, $1.00 per box of one hundred pills. 

HOxME Nerve Tonic Pills. 

A radical cure for nervous debility, general prostration, 
loss of manhood, impotence , and spermatorrhea. 

The Home Nerve Tonic Pills is the only remedy tb^t 
can be used with the certainty of producing imme- 



254 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

diate beneficial results in the conditions for which 
they are recommended. 

In all cases of general or nervous debility, im- 
potence, and spermatorrhea, they act as a powerful 
special tonic, and can truly be called a specific. 

Such cases are not incurable, as has been so 
often asserted. These pills will permanently restore 
lost vigor in all cases that do not require special 
surgical treatment. 

Directions for Use. — One pill should be taken 
fifteen or twenty minutes after each meal, and 
should be continued for two or three months. In 
most cases, however, a decided improvement is 
manifested before the first box is taken. A tepid 
sponge bath every morning, followed by twenty 
minutes' rubbing with a coarse towel, will prove of 
great advantage in conjunction with the pills. 

If the bowels should be constipated, and the 
tongue coated, our Home Liver Pills should be 
used. 

Price, $1.50 per box of one hundred pills. 

Home Alterative Pills. 

A never- failing blood purifier in scrofula, salt rheum, 
eczema, ring worm, syphilis, skin eruptions , and 
all disorders of the blood. 

The Home Alterative Pills are compounded 
with the special view of taking the place of the 
large and disagreeable doses of liquid H Blood 



VITAKURE KIDNEY PILLS. 255 

Purifier " that people have so long been persuaded 
to use. 

They are applicable to all conditions of the blood 
that give rise to skin eruptions, glandular swell- 
ings, ulcerations, boils, pimples, scabs, etc. 

They contain neither mercury nor potash, and 
instead of reducing the system they builds up and 
enrich the blood, throwing off the poison and re- 
storing health. 

Directions for Use. — One pill should be taken 
after each meal and at bed-time, and continued 
with regularity till all symptoms of the disease dis- 
appear. In old cases this treatment should be per- 
sistently followed for three or four months. 

When a person has been exposed to any specific 
poison, like syphilis, a prompt use of this remedy 
will prevent it from getting into the blood. 

Price, $1.50 per box of one hundred pills. 

Home Kidney Pills. 

A never -failing remedy in congestion and inflammation 
of the kidneys, Brighfs disease, gravel, irritation 
and inflammation of the bladder, suppression of 
urine, and all disorders of the kidneys and bladder, 
and to reduce dropsical swellings. 

Diseases of the kidneys are the most common 
that affect mankind, and when neglected are the 
most liable to become chronic and terminate fatally. 
These disorders are fully described in Chapter IX, 



256 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

page 130, of this manual; and when any of the 
symptoms therein described are recognized, no 
time should be lost in having the urine analyzed. 

Our Home Kidney Pills, when used according 
to directions, will always act promptly on the kid- 
neys, increasing the flow of urine, relieving pains 
in the back, allaying irritation of the bladder, and 
a frequent desire to urinate, and reducing dropsical 
conditions caused by Bright's disease. 

They also act powerfully in dissolving gravel in 
the kidneys and bladder, thus preventing the for- 
mation of stone in the bladder. 

One pill should be taken every three hours; but 
in cases of dropsy and when the flow of urine is 
very scanty, two pills should be taken every three 
hours. 

These pills should not be taken for diabetes. 

Price, $1.50 P er box of one hundred pills. 

Home Specific Pills and Tablets. 

A specific in go7iorrhea, gleet, and inflammation of the 
prostate gland. 

Home Specific Pills, in conjunction withHome 
Specific Tablets, will cure the worst cases of 
gonorrhea, in from three to six days, if used in 
time, and according to directions. 

One pill should be taken every three hours; and 
one tablet should be dissolved in two tablespoonfuls 



VITAKURE UTERINE TABLETS. 257 

of water and used as an injection, after urinating, 
and repeated three or four times a day. 

In long standing cases of gleet or inflammation 
of the prostate gland Specific Tablet No. 2 should 
be used for the injection, and two of our Home 
Specific Pills should be taken at a dose. 

The Home Specific Pills and Tablets, with 
syringe, securely packed, sent by mail for $3.00. 

Home Eye Tablets. 

Home Eye Tablets will promptly cure inflam- 
mation of the eyes, weak eyes, and recent cases of 
granulated eyelids. 

One tablet should be dissolved in an eyebath full 
of tepid water, and the eye bathed three or four 
times a day. Directions for using eyebath accom- 
panies the tablets. 

Price, per box of fifty tablets and eyebath, $1.00, 

Home Uterine Tablets. 

These tablets are prepared especially for the 
home treatment of leucorrhea (whites), inflamma- 
tion of the womb and vagina, and the several 
forms of displacement of the womb. They have 
been used by the author in an extended practice of 
thirty years, and are guaranteed to cure seventy- 
five per cent, of the diseases and weaknesses pecu- 
liar to women. 

When used in connection with the Home 
Tonic Pills for Women, the most satisfactory results 



258 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

are obtained; and in the majority of cases they do 
away with the necessity of consulting a physician 
and submitting to local examinations. 

These tablets are intended for the local treat- 
ment of diseases of the womb and vagina, and full 
directions for their use accompanies each box. 

Price, §1.00 per box, and this will save twelve 
visits to a physician. 

Home Worm Lozenges. 

The Home Worm Lozenges are an efficient 
and harmless remedy in all cases of stomach 
worms. When worms are suspected the child 
should be kept on as little food as possible during 
the afternoon, and to a child under two years of 
age two of the lozenges should be given in the 
evening. If the bowels do not move freely before 
ten o'clock, a dose of castor oil should be given 
before noon-time, and if worms are present they 
are sure to come away before night. Children 
over two years of age may take one lozenge every 
hour till four or five are taken, and it is always best 
to give the oil in the morning. If no worms are 
seen in the passages, it is a sure indication that 
none were present. 

Price, 50 cents per box. 

Home Cough Lozenges. 

In all cases of coughs and colds, when the throat 
is irritated and the cough annoying, relief is speed- 



VITAKURE OINTMENT. 259 

ily obtained and expectoration promoted by the free 
use of the Home Cough Lozenges. They will 
also be found of great value in cases of sore 
throat; and in the severer coughs of bronchitis 
and consumption they will soothe and quiet the 
cough without producing any unpleasant symp- 
toms. 

Directions for Use. — A lozenge should be taken 
into the mouth and allowed to dissolve, and the 
saliva slowly swallowed as it accumulates. Five or 
six may be thus used in succession, and in severe 
cases their use can be continued till the irritation is 
relieved. They can be repeated in the same way at 
intervals of an hour or two. 

They can be used with even young children, but 
to children under three years of age only one should 
be given every hour at first, and after three or four 
are taken the interval should be extended to two 
hours. 

They can be used with great benefit in all cases 
where nauseating syrup and cough mixtures were 
formerly given. 

Price, 50 cents per box. 

Home Ointment. 

For burns, scalds, eczema, acne, cuts, etc. 

Home Ointment should find a place in every 
household. It is composed of the best-known anti- 



26o THE HOME DOCTOR. 

septics, and will speedily cure all skin eruptions, 
burns, scalds, and wounds. 

Full directions for use accompanies each box. 

Price, 50 cents a box. 

Home Pile Ointment. 

Home Pile Ointment is a specific for all cases 
of recent piles, and will palliate even severe cases, 
till an operation can be performed. It relieves the 
pain, itching, and burning, and rapidly contracts 
the protruding mass. 

It must be applied well up the bowel, with the 
finger two or three times a day. 

Price, $1.00 per box. 

Home Corn Salve. 

Home Corn Salve will permanently remove 
corns and calluses in three or four days, and when 
used according to directions will prevent their 
recurrence. 

Price, 25 cents per box. 

The Home Inhaler. 

A radical cure for catarrh, and the best- known method 
of treating bronchitis, consumption, asthma, and 
hay fever, that has yet been offe?'ed to the public. 

The Home Inhaler does not produce a spray, 
but a medicated air that can be forced into every 



THE VITAKURE INHALER. 26l 

minute crevice of the air passages of the nose and 
inhaled to the air cells of the lungs. Thus a medi- 
cated a ; r is brought in direct contact with the dis- 
eased parts and a healthy action is at once set up. 

Full directions for use accompany each instru- 
ment. 

Inhalent No. 1 is prepared specially for the 
treatment of catarrh, sore throat, and irritation of 
the bronchial tubes. 

Inhalent No. 2 is used in cases of hay fever, in- 
fluenza, and consumption. 

Our Asthma Inhalation is to be used with the 
same instrument in all cases of genuine asthma or 
spasmodic breathing due to heart troubles or any 
nervous disorder. 

The instrument is put up in a substantial box 
with Inhalent No. 1 or 2, as desired, and sent to 
any address, by express prepaid, for $3.00 

The asthma cure with the Inhaler will be sent 
for the same price. 

Home Asthma Inhalation. 

Our Home Asthma Inhalation, when used in 
our Vitakure Inhaler, will relieve the paroxysms of 
asthma more promptly than any other remedy; and 
when used several times a day it will prevent their 
recurrence for long periods of time. 

The use of this Inhalation and the observance of 
the general treatment recommended on pages 91 



202 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

and 92 of this manual will prove a blessing to 
asthma sufferers. 

Price of Inhaler and Asthma Inhalation $3.00. 

The Earth-Magneto Electric Battery. 

The value of Electricity as one of the forces of nature 
in the treatment of disease, has long been recognized 
by the medical profession, but the various batteries de- 
vised for the purpose have failed to meet the require- 
ments and could not be trusted to laymen without danger. 

The Earth-Magneto Battery is the most recent 
and most wonderful scientific discovery of the age, as 
it generates an electrical force, which can be applied 
without shock or burning of the skin, which possesses 
more curative power than any electric current hereto- 
fore used. 

Wherever electricity is recommended in this book, 
this is the form of current that should be employed. It 
is especially designed for home use, and when used ac- 
cording to directions the body can be charged with elec- 
tric force without any possibility of injury. 

The Earth-Magneto combines the Static Magnetic 
and Galvanic forms of Electricity in such form that it 
can be used on the most sensitive person, without 
shock, or unp'easant sensation, and if necessary, it can 
be applied at bed time and left on all night. It is 
specially applicable in nervous prostration, nervous 
headache, rheumatism, lumbago, neuralgia, and defect- 
ive circulation from any cause. Full directions accom- 
pany each battery. This battery is manufactured by 
the Earth-Magneto Medical Battery Co., 19 Union 
Square, New York. 



INDEX. 



Abscess of the Ear 194 

Absence of Conjugal Desire 175 

Menstruation 165 

Accidents from Falls or Collisions 242 

Accumulation of Wax 193 

Acne 151 

Acute Bronchitis 87 

Diseases, Diet in 227 

Indigestion 18 

Nasal Catarrh 92 

Adult Life, Food for 219 

Amaurosis 189 

Angina Pectoris 128 

Antidotes for Poisons 229 

Anus, Fissure of the 199 

Fistula of the 198 

Asthma 90 

Inhalation 261 

Astigmatism 182 

Balanitis -. , 144 

Barbers Itch 162 

Barrenness 176 

Battery, Electric 262 

Bed Sores 152 

Biliousness 24 

Food in 242 

Bladder, Inflammation of the 138 



264 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

Bladder, Stone in the 138 

Bleeding from the Nose 239 

Lungs '. . 240 

Womb . .238 

Blood Diseases, Specific 76 

Boils 153 

Bones, Diseases of 201 

Bowed Legs 206 

Bright's Disease 132 

Food in 226 

Bronchitis, Acute 87 

Chronic S8 

Burns and Scalds 162, 237 

Caries 1 54 

Care of the Eyes 179 

Ears 191 

Carbuncles 154 

Cataract 188 

Catarrh, Acute Nasal 92 

Chronic 102 

Of the Stomach 22 

Cancers . . : 176, 209 

Chilblains 155 

Chicken Pox 46 

Cholera 49 

Infantum 30 

Morbus 27 

Tablets 250 

Chronic Bronchitis 83 

Catarrh 102 

Diarrhea 26 

Dyspepsia 19 

Clap 142 

Club Foot 207 

Constipation, Habitual 33 

Consumption 83 

Food in 227 



INDEX. 265 

Conjunctivitis 186 

Congestion of the Kidneys 131 

Conjugal Desire, Absence of 175 

Cornea, Ulceration of the 187 

Opacity of the 187 

Cough Lozenges 258 

Convulsions 112, 241 

Food in. 228 

Cross-Eye 185 

Croup 97 

Membranous 98 

Spasmodic 98 

Dandruff 156 

Deafness 195 

Defects of Vision 180 

Defective Nutrition, Diseases of 64 

Diabetes 71 

Food in ... . 226 

Diarrhea 25 

Chronic 26 

Diet in Acute Diseases 227 

Digestion, Organs of 13 

Diphtheria 52 

Diseases of the Bones 201 

Heart 123 

Joints 203 

Lids 183 

Lungs and Air Passages 82 

Nervous System 106 

Diseases and Injuries of the Skin 151 

Diseases of Defective Nutrition 64 

Diseases of Women 164 

Diseases, Urinary 130 

Dislocations 203 

Displacements of the Womb 171 

Drowning 244 

Drooping of the Lids , 182 



266 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

Dysentery 28 

Dyspepsia, Chronic 19 

Food in .223 

Pills 244 

Ear, Abscess of the 194 

Polypus of the 194 

Care of the 191 

Eating, Fallacies Regarding 222 

Eczema 157 

Emergencies, What to do in 237 

Enlargement of the Heart 127 

Epilepsy 113 

Erysipelas 49 

Eyes, Care of the 179 

Weeping, or Watery 1S5 

Eye and its Disorders 178 

Tablets 257 

Fainting 240 

Fallacies Regarding Eating 222 

Falling Out of Hair 156 

Fatty Degeneration of the Heart 127 

Feeding, Infant 216 

Fever, Bilious 40 

Intermittent 39 

Hay 55 

Scarlet 47 

Typhoid 61 

Fissure of the Anus 199 

Fistula of the Anus 198 

Fits 241 

Flesh Worms 151 

Food for Adult Life 219 

Food in Biliousness 224 

Bright's Disease 226 

Consumption 227 

Convalescence 22S 

Diabetes 226 



INDEX. 267 

Food in Dyspepsia 223 

Health and Disease 212 

Nervous Prostration 225 

Old Age 221 

Rheumatism 225 

Fractures 202 

Freckles 153 

Germ Diseases, Specific 43 

Glanders So 

Glaucoma 189 

Gleet 143 

Gonorrhea 142 

Gout 69 

Granulated Lids 186 

Gravel 134 

Hair, Falling Out of 156 

Habitual Constipation 33 

Hay Fever 55 

Headache 107 

Plethoric 10S 

Rheumatic 10S 

Sick io3 

Heat, Prickley 1 59 

Heart, Disease of the 123 

Enlargement 127 

Fatty Degeneration of the 127 

Heart, Rheumatism of the 123 

Palpitation of the 124 

Health, How to Preserve 16 

Hernia 200 

Hiccough 117 

Hives 158 

How to Preserve Health 16 

Corn Salve 260 

Cough Lozenges 258 

Hydrocele 146 

Hypermetropia , . . . . 181 

Hysteria J15, 174 

Indigestion, Acute 18 



268 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

Infant Feeding. 216 

Inflammation of the Bladder 138 

Larynx 100 

Kidneys .131 

Vulva 169 

Womb 170 

Influenza, Epidemic 54 

Ingrown Toe Nails 201 

Impotence 149 

Intestinal Worms 34 

Involuntary Escape of Urine 139 

Iritis 188 

Irritation, Spinal in 

Itch 161 

Barbers 162 

Jaundice 25 

Joints, Diseases of the 203 

Kidneys, Congestion of the 131 

Kidney Pills 255 

Knock Knee , . 206 

Laceration of the Neck of the Womb 172 

Perineum 176 

La Grippe 54 

Larynx, Inflammation of the 100 

J eucorrhea 1 73 

Lids, Diseases of the 183 

Gran ulated 186 

Liver Pills 251 

Loss of Voice 100 

Lungs, Bleeding from , 240 

Malarial Diseases 38 

Fevers 39 

Pills 247 

Malformation and Injuries of the Ear 193 

Measles 46 

Men, Special Diseases of 141 

Menstruation, Absence of 165 



INDEX. 269 

Menstruation, Painful 166 

Profuse 167 

Mumps 59 

Myopia, or Near Sight 181 

N asal Catarrh, Acute 92 

Near Sight 181 

Neck of the Womb, Laceration of 172 

Nervous Prostration, Food in 225 

System, Diseases of the 106 

Neuralgia 119 

Neurqdine Tablets . , 248 

Nettle Rash 158 

Nose, Bleeding from the 239 

Ulceration of the 94 

Ointment 259 

Old Age, Food in 221 

Old Sight 181 

Opacity of the Cornea 187 

Organs of Digestion 13 

Palpitations of the Heart 124 

Painful Menstruation 166 

Paraphimosis 145 

Paralysis 121 

Perineum, Laceration of. 174 

Phymosis 144 

Pile Ointment 260 

Piles 196 

Pistol Wounds 238 

Pleurisy 104 

Pneumonia 104 

Poisons, Antidotes for 229 

Poisoning, Antidotes for Aconite 232 

Arsenic 231 

Belladonna 233 

Carbolic Acid 223 

Chloroform 234 

Chloral . . . . .235 



2 70 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

Poisoning. Antidotes for Coal Gas 234 

Gelsemium 235 

Illuminating Gas 234 

Lead .232 

Opium 229 

Oxalic Acid 235 

Poisonous Mushrooms 236 

Strychnine. 230 

Polypus of the Ear 194 

Presbyopia, or Old Sight 181 

Prickley Heat 159 

Profuse Menstruation 167 

Quinsy , 95 

Retention of Urine 136 

Rheumatic Pills 253 

Rheumatism 64 

Food in 225 

Of the Heart 125 

Rickets 71 

Ring Worm 159 

R u pture 200 

Salt Rheum 160 

Sarsaparilla Pills 154 

Scarlet Fever 47 

Scalds 162 

Scrofula 74 

Sea Sickness 118 

Self-abuse 147 

Skin, Diseases and Injuries of 151 

Small-Pox 44 

Sore Throat 94 

Special Diseases of Men 141 

Specific Blood Diseases 76 

Germ Diseases 43 

Pills and Tablets 256 

Spermatorrhea 148 

Spectacles, The Use of ? .182 



INDEX. 271 

Spinal Deformities 205 

Irritation in 

Sprains 202 

Stomach, Catarrh of the 22 

Stone in the Bladder 138 

Sterility 176 

Stricture 145 

Stys 1S4 

St. Vitus Dance 114 

Summer Complaint 30 

Surgical Diseases and Accidents 196 

Swelled Testicle 146 

Syphilis 76 

The Ear and its Disorders 190 

Throat, Sore 94 

Testicle, Swelled 146 

Toe Nails, Ingrown 201 

Tonic Pills for Women 24^ 

Torpid Liver 24 

Tumors 176, 208 

Typhoid Fever 61 

Ulcers 207 

Ulceration of the Cornea 187 

Nose 94 

Womb 17c 

Urine, Retention of 136 

Uterine Tablets 257 

Urine, Involuntary Escape of 139 

Urinary Diseases 130 

Use of Spectacles 182 

Varicose Veins 200 

Varicocele 147 

Vertigo ill 

Vision, Defects of 280 

Home Cholera Pills 25Q 



272 THE HOME DOCTOR. 

Home Dyspepsia Pills 244 

Eye Tablets 257 

Electric Battery 261 

Family Medicines 243 

Inhaler 261 

Kidney Pills 255 

Liver Pills 251 

Malarial Pills 247 

Nerve Pills 253 

Ointment 259 

Pile Ointment 260 

Rheumatic Pills 253 

Alterative Pills 254 

Specific Pills and Tablets 256 

Tonic Pills for Women 246 

Uterine Tablets 257 

Worm Lozenges 258 

Voice, Loss of 100 

Vulva 167 

Inflammation of the 167 

W T arts 161 

Wax, Accumulation of 193 

Weeping, or Watery Eyes 185 

What to Do in Emergencies 237 

Whooping Cough 58 

Womb, Displacements of the 172 

Inflammation of the 170 

Ulceration of the 171 

Women, Diseases of 164 

Worm, Ring 159 

Lozenges. , 258 

Worms, Intestinal 34 

Round 35 

Tape 36 

Thread 35 

Wounds, Bleeding from 238 

Pistol 23a 



HOME TREATMENT CO.'S REMEDIES. 



The remedies recommended in this book are carefully pre- 
pared from formulas of a well-known physician and surgeon, 
who has used them in his active practice for 30 years. They are 
not " Patent Medicines nor Cure- Alls," but Special medicines 
adapted to the scientific treatment of each class of diseases. 

These remedies are in the form of pills and tablets, and are 
not unpleasant to the taste. 

Dr. Gunn's Home Liver Pill. — A radical cure for Constipation, 
Biliousness, Bilious and Sick Headache, Colic and Torpid Liver. 
(These pills are the most perfect and satisfactory liver pills 
ever offered to the public. They have received the indorse- 
ments of many physicians, and of thousands of persons who 
have used them.) One pill is a dose. 25 for 25 cents; 100 
for $1.00. 

Dr. Gunn's Home Dyspepsia Pill. — A specific for acute Indiges- 
tion, Chronic Dyspepsia, Heartburn, Acid Stomach, Flatu- 
lancy, Bloating after eating, and Wind Colic. 50 cents and 
$1.00 per box. 
Dr. Gunn's Home Malarial Pill. — A cure for Chills, Fever and 
Ague, Dumb Ague, Bilious Fever and all Malarial Fevers. 
50 cents and $1.00 per box. 
Dr. Gunn's Home Rheumatic Pill. — A certain cure for Rheuma- 
tism, Gout, Lumbago, and pains in the muscles and joints. 
50 cents and $i.oq per box. 
Dr. Gunn's Neurodine Tablet. — A specific for Neuralgia, Sciatica, 
Nervous Headache, Toothache, Hysterical Spasms, Sleep- 
lessness, and Nervous Irritability. 50 cents and $1.00 per 
box. 
Dr. Gunn's Home Alterative Pill. — A never- failing blood purifier 
in Scrofula, Salt Rheum, Eczema, Ringworm, Syphilis, Skin 
eruptions, Pimples on the face and all disorders of the 
blood. 50 cents and $1.00 per box. 
Dr. Gunn's Home Diuretic Pill. — A reliable remedy in congestion 
and inflammation of the Bladder, Suppressibn of Urine, 
and all disorders of the Kidneys and Bladder, and to reduce 
Dropsical swellings. 50 cents and $1.00 per box. 
Dr. Gunn's Home Cholera Pill. — For Diarrhoea, Dysentery, Chol- 
era Morbus and Cholera. 50 cEnts arid $1.00 per box. 
Dr. Gunn's Home Cough Lozenge. — A pleasant and efficacious 
remedy for Coughs. Colds, Sore Throat, and Bronchitis. 
25 and 50 cents per box. 



Dr. Gunn's Home Worm Lozenge. — A radical cure in all cases of 
stomach worms. Palatable to the taste and certain in its 
result. 25 cents per box. 
Dr. Gunr^s Home Nerve Tonic Pill. — A radical cure for Nervous 
Debility, General Prostration. Loss of Manhood, Impotence, 
and Spermatorrhoea or Nocturnal emissions. $1.50 per box. 
Dr. Gunn's Home Tonic Pill for Women. — This is a general tonic 
as well as a special tonic for the Womb and Ovaries. It is 
the woman's friend, and when used in connection with the 
Home Suppositories, will cure all cases of female weakness. 
Si. 00 per box. 
Dr. Guun's Home Supposatories for Women. — These Supposatories 
are prepared for the local treatment of diseases of the Womb 
and Vagina. With them every woman can cure herself of 
all female disorders, without going to a physician for treat- 
ment. $1.00 per box. 

N. B. — All boxes sold for $1.00 contain 100 pills, or one 
cent per dose. 

By reading the Home Doctor carefully, you may save 
physicians' fees. 

By sending for Home Treatment Remedies you will secure 
freshly prepared medicines, carefully compounded from pure 
drugs (not stale goods from druggists' shelves) at wholesale 
rates. WHY? Because we have none of the expenses, profits, 
extensive advertising, transportation, etc., etc., of middlemen, 
which is enormous and is all paid for by the consumer. We 
forward our remedies direct to the purchaser by MAIL, 
and therefore our patrons will receive the benefit of druggists' 
profits and get the most reliable remedies at the lowest rates. 

Home Treatment Remedies are put up in plain packages, 
with no indication of their contents. A question blank is en- 
closed with every Home Doctor. If it is carefully filled out 
and sent to us, our physicians will diagnose and give advice 
without charge. Special question blanks, for diseases of men 
and women will be sent on application. Correspondence on any 
physical ailment will receive prompt attention. All communi- 
cations ARE CONFIDENTIAL. 

Our physicians can be consulted in all complicated cases, 
and the best advice on all chronic and surgical diseases can be 
relied on. 

N. B. — Postage stamps accepted as cash. 

HOME TREATMENT COMPANY, 

54 WEST 23D ST., NEW YORK CITY. 



Waverley Bicycles 

. . . 1896 • • • 

Why the Waverley Su cceeds 

in presenting our '96 catalogue, which will be 
ready by January, we will endeavor to show in 
a clear, comprehensive manner, "Why the 
Waverley Succeeds." Our statements will be 
couched in plain every-day language that any 
child may read and understand. The catalogue 
will be fully illustrated, showing the various 
departments of our plant, with the workmen 
engaged in their different occupations, enabling 
our readers to grasp more readily the full 
meaning of our story. This advertisement is 
intended as a mere forerunner of the catalogue 
to come, and whether you buy a machine before- 
hand or not, do not fail to get a copy of our 
regular catalogue, as we are sure it will prove 
interesting to every wheelman 

Indiana Bicycle Co. 

Factory, Indianapolis, Ind. 

30th Street and B'way, 339 Broadway 

N, Y. City. N. Y, City, 




DR. J. FEHR'S 

" annum thlciwt 

"BABY POWDER," 

The " Hygienic Dermal PoAvder " 
for Infants and Adults. 

Originally investigated and its thera- 
peutic properties discovered in the 
year 1868, by Dr. J. FEHR, and in- 
troduced to the Medical and the Phar- 
maceutical Professions in the yeariS73. 

COMPOSITION.— Silicate of Magnesia 
with Carbolic and Salicylic Acids. 

PROPERTIES.— Antiseptic, Antizy- 
motic, and Disinfectant. 
Useful as a GENERAL SPRINKLING 

POWDER, with positive Hygienic, Pro- 
phylactic, and Therapeutic properties. 

GOOD IN ALX AFFECTIONS 
OF THE SKIN. 

SOLD BY THE DRUG TRADE GENERALLY. 

- - $0.25 

- - 1.75 

- - .50 

- - 3.50 



Per box, plain - - - 
Per dozen, **---- 
Per box, perfumed - - 
Per dozen, " - - 

THE MANUFACTURER, 

JULIUS FEHR, M. D., 

Ancient Pharmacist, 

Established 1859. HOBOKEN,N.J. 
Only advertised in Medical and Pharmaceutical Prints. 



Send for our free 
booklet entitled 



SENSE. 



It's of interest to womankind everywhere. 
Tells all about the wonderful " Pri-mo," a new and scien- 
tific attachment for Syringes. Indorsed by all Physicians. 



E. J. HUSSEY & CO., 83 John St., New York. 



A Tonic, a Food, and 
a mild Stimulant 

That's what .... 

EVANS 9 A. LB is. 

An absolutely pure, hygienic and nutritious extract of 2v£<a.XjT and 
:ESO£=s,uncontaminated with dead, diseased, or foreign yeast cells. 

No Sediment Whatever. 

C. H. EVANS & SONS, 

New York Office : 

1ST HUDSON STREET. 

The publishers of the " Homf. Doctor " endorse Evans' Ale for medicinal 
purposes and for what it is advertised. 

No loss of time from business. 
\J L 1 U 1 T 1 5 Highest references given from 

former patients. 

iWORPHINE Valuable treatise on home 

cure sent free. 

NATIONAL HEALTH CO., 

CONSULTATION 

FREE. 159 West 48tli Street, New Yorlc. 

For . . . 

Advertising Space • . . 

in . . . 

The Home Doctor, 

address, 

The Hollister Printing Co., 54WE N \V 3 Y ° 0R S K TREET 



A ♦ HOME • ORCHESTRA.. 




SUCH IS THE 




No home, no social function 
is complete without one, as it 
enables the hostess to have a 
concert without artists and a 
dance without a band. 

Plays thousands of selec- 
tions and anybody can per- 
form upon a SYMPHONY 
any class of music desired. 



CALL AND HEAR IT. 
123 Fifth Avenue, New York. 

WILCOX & WHITE, - - fleriden, Conn. 



Two Bottles ii 
of 



OLD CROW RYE 



99 



Wineg-Iassf ul with, water, with each meal, is a dose. 

OLD Crow Rye Whiskey is as near pure as science 
can ?nake it, and is endorsed by hundreds of Physicians 
in their practice, whose testimonials we have on file. 
The Editor of the 4 4 Home Doctor ' ' is referred to as 
one of them. 

The above prescription is given many times daily by our best physicians. 
We have heard of several patients who have been deceived and misled by 
tricky dealers, who have sold them imitations by which they made more 
profit, saying it was just as good— a statement they knew was untrue. The 
article they furnished was a cheap and deleterious compound. If every pur- 
chaser will see that the word " RYE " is on the label and our firm name on 
label, case, cork and capsule, they will protect themselves. 



Established 1853. 



H. B. KIRK& CO., New York. 















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